I Am Not a Vegetable
by Aelimir
Summary: Hermione gets knocked into a vegetative state, and everyone thinks that it's impossible for her to come out of it, so they're going to let her die. Everyone except Remus Lupin. He cares for her and hopes against hope that she'll wake up one day. LupinHr
1. Hello Hogsmeade

A/N: This story isn't finished, but I figured I left you all hanging long enough. :) This story was inspired by Kate Adamson, and Shimmer of an Angel greatly helped with her ideas. :) For people who haven't read my previous stories, things that appear in parentheses are the character's thoughts. Also, I'm not a medical expert in any way, shape or form (especially considering I nearly flunked Biology class). So there's probably not much here that's clinically accurate. One more thing; I have this concept that wizards have a magical immune system that works like the regular one does, except against magical maladies instead of regular ones.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Hello Hogsmeade 

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, and Ginny sat at a table in the Three Broomsticks. It was September, their first Hogsmeade weekend of their sixth year. Voldemort had few followers left, and they all felt sure that soon he would be defeated.

"Look at this," said Ginny, holding up the Daily Prophet. "Voldemort has a new follower that the Ministry has on their wanted list."

Harry took it from her. Since the number of his Death Eaters were declining, it was remarkable to hear of a new one. (He must be crazy, I wonder why he'd join Voldemort, especially in this stage of the game) The headline read: "Wanted: Michael Judge." Witnesses saw him using the Imperious curse, the Dark Mark showing openly on his arm. People who used to know him described him as "clinically insane."

"Let me see it," said Hermione. She read the article quietly for a minute, before folding it and giving it back to Ginny. "I'm sure they'll catch him soon, he doesn't seem to be too good at hiding."

"Hermione," said Ron, "Can you help me with my DADA homework? I don't want Snape to completely flunk me in the class."

"Of course, Ron," she said sympathetically. Snape had finally landed the job he'd wanted for years, much to their great disappointment.

Harry smiled to himself. DADA was his strongest class. Snape couldn't find reasons to flunk him, so instead he'd tried to give him detention for the slightest misbehavior. He already got detention once on the first day of class, when he'd expressed his horror at Snape being DADA teacher.

He wished that Remus Lupin could return to the post. Unfortunately, feelings were still quite hard against werewolves, so it was impossible. Lupin, meanwhile, lived at Number12, Grimmauld Place. The Order rarely met there now, since the Voldemort situation was under control. Kreacher had gone to house-elf prison, and Buckbeak died a month ago, so Lupin lived there all alone. "Let's go to the Shrieking Shack," said Harry suddenly.

"Great, let's go," agreed Hermione. The others followed them out the door. Summer still lingered pleasantly on the air as they silently made their way to the Shack.

"I have a feeling," said Luna quietly. "Like we're being watched."

Hermione frowned at her. Normally, she didn't take Luna seriously, but she couldn't help but agree. As they arrived near the Shack, she thought she could feel a sinister presence in the shadows of the trees.

"HARRY, DUCK!" shouted Ginny, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Harry crumpled to the ground instantly. Thanks to his quick reflex, a blast of green light missed him.

"Show yourself, coward!" shouted Hermione. She felt a scared sort of anger. She'd nearly lost Harry.

To their horror, none other than Michael Judge emerged from the shadows. He laughed maniacally. "Voldemort is going to reward me for this!" he gloated, pointing his wand at Hermione.

(There's five of us, and one of him. We can handle this) "STUPEFY!" shouted Ginny, Hermione, and Harry.

"Protego!" Michael returned, sending their stunning spells right back at them. Everyone ducked. "AVADA KEVADRA!"

A flash of green light hit Hermione in the head. She fell down and moved no more. Michael grinned. He'd never used the killing curse before. He hoped his magic was strong enough for it. Voldemort would be _so_ pleased that he'd managed to kill Potter's mudblood friend.

There was a stunned silence for a moment, before it was broken. "_YOU! YOU KILLED HERMIONE, I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!_" shouted Harry, his voice hoarse with pain. "CRUCIO!"

The curse caught Michael completely by surprise and knocked him to the ground. He didn't think that Harry had the guts to use an Unforgivable. As it was, even in this state, Harry did not have the requirements to do an Unforgivable properly, so it soon sizzled to nothing. Potter's wizard friends loomed over him, their eyes flashing dangerously. (I think it's time to apparate) decided Michael.

However, before he could, three stunning spells hit him. He didn't react in time, and was knocked out cold. Harry kicked him and turned to Hermione. "HERMIONE!" he wailed. "You can't be dead, you can't." Harry sobbed openly. "You just can't, you've always been there. Don't leave me."

Ron wasn't one to cry, but even his eyes filled with tears, soon joined by the others. "We need to get Dumbledore," said Luna reasonably. No one volunteered. "I'll go," she decided. She apparated as close as she could to Hogwarts, then ran to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore rushed to the scene, along with McGonagall and Snape.

"Snape, McGonagall, take Judge to the Ministry so they can arrest him. I'll take Hermione to St. Mungo's."

"I'm coming," stated Harry firmly. It was not a request. He was coming too, no matter what.

Dumbledore recognized the look on Harry's face, and didn't object. His own eyes started to get misty. "All right. Ron may come too. Ginny, Luna, please return to Hogwarts."

Ginny and Luna sadly obeyed Dumbledore. "It'll be ok, Harry," said Ginny, knowing such words would be futile. Harry looked like his world was coming to an end. She walked with Luna on the path back to Hogwarts in a stunned daze. Hermione, dead? It just couldn't be.

Dumbledore conjured a portkey. He and Ron stood holding it (a Dobby sock which Dumbledore had pulled out of his pockets) while Harry scooped up Hermione's limp form. He placed Hermione's hand on the portkey, and he touched it with one of his own fingers. Dumbledore counted to ten. Harry felt the familiar hook behind his navel as they suddenly landed in the emergency room at St. Mungo's.

"Dr. Clint will be with y'all in a jiffy," announced a nurse, barely glancing at them, quickly moving on to another patient, whose face was bubbling uncontrollably.

Harry sat down, cradling Hermione. He picked up her wrist and felt for a pulse. For a moment, he thought he felt a flicker of one. His hopes died as he felt nothing after that. He buried his face into her chest, trying to hide his tears.

A few minutes later, he heard a voice. "Hello, I'm Dr. Clint. What is wrong with that young lady?"

Dumbledore turned to Ron expectantly. He hadn't been told exactly what had happened, so as Ron seemed to be the one who had it more together than Harry, he would tell. "She was hit with -" he paused a moment, cringing with pain. "a Killing Curse."

Dumbledore now understood why Harry appeared so devastated. (Why did Trelawny ever open her mouth? Why does it have to be Harry, all the time?)

Dr. Clint grew serious. "Is the perpetrator caught?"

"Yes, indeed. It was Michael Judge," Dumbledore said solemnly.

Dr. Clint gently picked Hermione up from Harry's lap. "I'll look her over. The curse doesn't always work, you know," he said, but they could tell he didn't think the prospects were promising. "Wait here. It shouldn't take long."

Dr. Clint strode to his examining room, his face grave. This wasn't the first time he'd looked over a person at the receiving end of that curse. It was the hardest part of his job to break the sad news of the death of the loved one to his or her friends and family. In this case, it could be especially unpleasant, since he'd have to break it to Harry Potter, a famous hero, that his girlfriend had died. (At least I think she probably is, with the way he was sobbing over her)

He screened her with his wand. She had, indeed, been hit with a Killing Curse. Only that would put up the resistance that pulsated from her. He checked for breathing and a pulse. She was alive, but barely. After further examination, he shouted for a nurse.

A nurse hurriedly strode up. "Yes, Dr. Clint?"

"Could you pull up Rupert Eastwood's file? I need to make a comparison."

"Oh dear, it's that bad, you think?" the nurse worried.

"I'm afraid so, their cases are quite similar," the doctor said. The nurse was back in a flash with his requested file.

"Hmmm, both hit with Avada Kevadra in the head, both in the same unresponsive states, both barely breathing, pulse hardly enough to count for." He paused. "She's as good as dead."

"Oh dear," repeated the nurse. "Would you like me to tell them?"

"I'll do it," Dr. Clint said grimly. "You take her upstairs." He headed back to where her three wizard friends were standing. They all looked rather glassy eyed, especially Harry Potter, who was twisting his hands in an agonizing fashion. Words failed Dr. Clint for a moment. This was going to be one of the most unpleasant things he'd ever done in his life. "I have bad news," he said slowly.

"Don't say it, just don't," moaned Harry. Ron stared at the doctor blankly.

Dumbledore turned to Harry, handing him a sock. "Here, this will take you back to my office. You too, Ron, if you wish. I'll be coming on the other sock after I have a little talk with Dr. Clint."

Harry and Ron grabbed the sock and vanished. "I'm sorry, you'll have to make this quick, I have many other patients to attend to," Dr. Clint said apologetically.

Dumbledore sensed that Dr. Clint really did mean for the best, but hadn't told them everything yet. He wished to know the final facts before leaving. "So Hermione Granger is officially dead?" he asked quietly.

"Not yet, Dumbledore. The fact is, she's in a state exactly like Rupert Eastwood, a patient we had here nearly twenty years ago. We tried our best to treat him. Nothing we could do revived him, and believe me, we tried _everything_ for the next five years. The fact is, _nothing_ can reverse a killing curse, as you know. One day, Rupert died. He wasn't much older than Hermione, either. There's no hope for her. We'll let her die, which should happen soon, maybe a week or so. Quite regrettable, but we're quite helpless to do anything else. I'll let you know, so you can make funeral arrangements. Now, I'm really sorry, but I have to go. Patients call." Dr. Clint gave one last apologetic look and left.

Dumbledore sat down and put his head in his hands for a moment. In a few minutes, he'd have to go back to his office and face a devastated Harry, who would undoubtedly be in a state similar to how he was after Sirius died. He'd probably get his office destroyed again, but that certainly was something he was willing to sacrifice. Harry needed the support of his friends to face Voldemort, and now he'd lost one of his very closest. Dumbledore picked up the sock, instantly appearing in his own office, where a very distraught Ron and Harry stood.

Dumbledore sat down. "Would one of you please tell me exactly what happened?"

Harry stood, obstinately silent, not looking at Dumbledore. Ron spoke up and told the story, haltingly and painfully. When he reached the part where Michael said the Killing Curse, he stopped and couldn't continue. Dumbledore nodded, satisfied.

"Why?"said Harry suddenly. "WHY?" He picked up a book and threw it across the room in a rage. Ron winced, while Dumbledore, who expected the place to be in ruins within minutes, didn't flinch. "WHY! We were just going for a _STROLL. _An innocent, everyday stroll like we always do!"

Harry blindly picked up an unlit candle and threw it. It crashed into a million pieces on the floor. Ron, who'd never seen Harry so angry, took a step back, alarmed. Dumbledore gave him a look to leave Harry alone for now.

"How can she leave, just like that? She's always been there for me. Just when I need her most, to help me face Voldemort, she's gone!" Harry roared. He threw more objects across the room.

Ron stared at the floor. Despite arguing with Hermione so much, he really did love her a lot, as a friend. He would really miss her. (Living with Harry isn't going to be easy now, I think. Not that it ever was.)

"What am I going to do without her?" Harry wailed, before running out of the room. Ron ran after him, wondering the same thing.

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Preview of next chapter: _Meanwhile, Remus Lupin stumbled into St. Mungo's, a sight indeed. Full moon had occurred the night before, and he was in for a checkup. It was routine, he already knew what to do about his cuts and bruises, but Dumbledore had insisted on it after every full moon. He hated coming here. They were none too friendly towards him, since he was a werewolf. He stood still, unnoticed, for a minute. He was about to approach the counter when he heard a nurse say a name he recognized._


	2. At Death's Door

A/N: Updates might be a bit slower than with my other stories, real life has been ridiculous, and I'm revising the chapters I've written, and I still haven't finished writing this story. :( I'm aiming to update once every few days hopefully, if real life doesn't get any crazier. Also, I would like to thank Shimmer of an Angel for a prompt reply to my e-mail. Your suggestion greatly helped. :) Part of it I'm going to save for a future story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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At Death's Door 

Hermione's mind clouded in confusion. She felt like she was drifting in a black cloud, her soul suspended above her body. Her sense of up and down escaped her. She tried to concentrate on something, anything, so she'd no longer be lost in the darkness. That's when she heard them. Voices. They sounded so far away. Solemn, grieved, pitying voices. A tone of finality ringing in them. (Is this really the end? All I remember is a flash of green light) she wondered absently, hardly caring. She felt rather peaceful.

The voices became clearer. Hermione felt conscious that she was lying in a bed. (I'm alive! I need to get up, tell them that I'm fine. I need to open my eyes. Why aren't my eyes opening? WHY AREN'T MY EYES OPENING!) She was aware of her body, but it wasn't responding. (I must relax. There must be some logical reason for this) She strained her ears, listening to the voices carefully for the first time.

"- such a shame. She was Harry Potter's friend, you know." It was a woman speaking, on the old side, by the sound of it.

(Why are they talking about me in the past tense?) Hermione wondered, alarmed.

"Really?" a younger sounding woman said. "That's terrible that he's had to suffer another loss. Yet another person's life destroyed by Voldemort."

(I'M NOT DEAD!) Hermione tried to shout, but her body didn't respond. She started feeling claustrophobic, trapped in her own body. (I'M NOT DEAD! SOMEBODY HELP ME!)

"She's not dead yet," the older woman whispered. "She's a case just like young Rupert's. Quite tragic, really. It's only a matter of time."

"Oh," the young woman said. "That's horrible."

Hermione heard the sound of the door closing. She tried desperately to move, panicking as she felt no response. Her mind screamed in terror. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move, she didn't know where her wand was...and she couldn't even blink. Here she was, Hermione Granger, the girl who knew every spell in the book, but she now couldn't even master opening her eyes. (And now I'm going to die. Who knows how long that will take.) Her heart, in this condition weak at best, beat with all its strength in fear. The effort exhausted her. (Where's Harry and Ron? Where's my parents? Am I going to be alone for my last hours, or however long this will be?) A fury consumed her. After all she'd done, did no one care? When she needed them most, when she felt so frustrated and helpless, everyone was gone. (Somebody...anybody...help me) she wailed. As she drifted off to sleep, exhausted, she noted how hungry and thirsty she felt. Were they starving her to death?

Hermione drifted in an out of consciousness. For how long, she didn't know. Time stretched into eternity, and she was surrounded by agonizing silence. A deep depression settled on her. She wished somebody would come back, anybody, even those nurses who insisted that she would die. Progressively she grew hungrier and thirstier, to the point of pain. Did they know that she was conscious? (They might not. I'm stuck here) Hermione felt a tear slide down her cheek. (At least something responds to me) she thought dejectedly.

Meanwhile, Remus Lupin stumbled into St. Mungo's, a sight indeed. Full moon had occurred the night before, and he was in for a checkup. It was routine, he already knew what to do about his cuts and bruises, but Dumbledore had insisted on it after every full moon. He hated coming here. They were none too friendly towards him, since he was a werewolf. He stood still, unnoticed, for a minute. He was about to approach the counter when he heard a nurse say a name he recognized.

"You haven't heard about Hermione Granger?" she said, sounding surprised as she addressed a fellow nurse. "She got knocked into a state like the late Rupert's."

"That's so unfortunate," sighed the other nurse. "I hope the criminal was caught."

"He was. It was Michael Judge, you know. Horrible man."

His brow furrowed and heart sinking, Remus approached the two ladies. "Hello, I'm Remus. I thought I heard you talking about Hermione. She's good friend of mine. Where are you keeping her?"

"Upstairs, room 13. No good visiting her, though," the nurse responded sadly.

"Why not?" asked Remus.

"Have you ever heard of Rupert Eastwood?" At Remus's nod, she continued. "Well, Hermione's suffered the same fate."

"She's dead?" Remus whispered.

"Well, no. But since there is no known way to reverse an Avada Kevadra, we must let her die. She'll never be revived."

"Hermione," breathed Remus, shocked. "Not Hermione."

"I'm so sorry, sir, I can tell she meant something to you. Best be off, we have work to do."

They left Remus staring blankly at the wall. (We must let her die. She'll never be revived. We must let her die. We must let her die) repeated over and over in his head, haunting him. Painfully he recalled a memory from his days just before he'd gone to Hogwarts. He'd broken free of the pen he was kept in on full moon nights, with devastating results. The next morning, he laid beside a roadside, nearly dead. Two wizard boys who used to be his friends before he got bitten debated whether to check him out or not. They decided to leave him for dead. Fortunately, some muggles came along and took him to the hospital. He had a time of explaining what had happened to him. He ended up telling them that he'd run away from home and got beaten up by a wolf, which hadn't been too far from the truth.

And now Hermione was in the same situation he was in all those years ago. (No one knows how to reverse an Avada Kevadra curse) he reminded himself. (But wait...Harry did. It's not impossible. Harry Potter, as a mere babe, did the impossible. He survived a Killing Curse with only a scar to tell the tale. He lives, with only that one blemish. It's not impossible. There's hope for Hermione. Why don't they see that?)

Completely forgetting about his own checkup, Remus strode up the stairs to room 13. He was a man on a mission. Hermione was going to live, she just had to. He wouldn't lose someone else to Voldemort. Especially not her. She was like Lily in many ways, so supportive of his condition. So few were, he'd always been quite touched by her concern and sensitivity towards it. It brightened his days when she was around. Few other things did. He just couldn't afford to lose her, ever. She was such a great friend.

Remus entered room 13, leaving the door slightly ajar. He gaped at Hermione's limp, mute form. She looked so peaceful there, a sheet covering her up to her chest. Merely asleep she seemed to be. He stepped up to her, shaking her a little. He knew it was in vain, but he so desperately hoped that the nurses were joking, that they only were talking rumors, that it wasn't true. Hermione didn't respond.

Being a werewolf, he could detect that she was indeed alive, just barely. It was one of the perks of being a werewolf, he was extra sensitive to noises, sights, smells, touch, and the "sixth sense." He thought he detected the slightest flicker of something – of movement, wakefulness, he wasn't sure what. Or maybe it was just his overly wishful imagination.

"Hermione," he whispered. He detected something again. "I'm here, I won't let you die." He thought he saw the trail of a previous tear down the side of her face. Had she been crying? Was she aware of what was going on around her?

Hermione could feel someone shaking her. She used every ounce of her will to respond, to let them know she was alive, she could hear and feel them. She heard someone say her name. (It's Lupin!) she realized, her spirits lifting for the first time since she'd seen the flash of green light. As she listened to his promise, she wondered if she was hallucinating, if this was just a dream, a result of strong wishful thinking.

She heard him speak again. "I'm going to talk to your so called doctors, to talk them out of this. No one who calls himself a doctor should let his patient die. I can't believe they're doing this, to you, you of all people, after all you've done." His voice was a pained whisper. She detected a staunch determination in his tone, and she had a feeling that she was lucky not to be her doctor today. (But no, even being in my doc's shoes would be better than this helpless state) she thought glumly. She felt him brush her hair off her face, and she got the feeling that he was looking at her closely. Hermione tried to make a movement, any movement, using all the determination she possessed. Her world lurched sickenly as her eyes gave a slight flicker.

"Hermione, can you hear me?" asked Remus hopefully. He was sure her eyelids had moved. To his disappointment, he couldn't see any more response from her, even though he waited several minutes. Giving up, he stood and was about to leave the room, when the door was pushed open all the way.

"Hello," said Dr. Clint. "I'm Dr. Clint." The doctor reached out to shake Remus's hand.

"I'm Remus Lupin," Remus responded, accepting the handshake. "Nice to meet you. Are you Hermione's doctor?"

"Yes, and what was your relation to her?"

"I'm a good friend of her and Harry Potter. Used to be their teacher, and now I'm in the Order of Phoenix."

"I see. What is your business here?" asked Dr. Clint. "She is, unfortunately, going to suffer the same fate as Rupert, a hopeless case."

"Hermione is not a hopeless case," said Remus angrily.

Hermione could hear every word. She knew all about Rupert, she'd read about him in a book somewhere in DADA class. Silently she cheered Remus on, begging him not to give up. At the same time, she had her own misgivings. What if there really was no hope? What if it was indeed impossible for her to even open her eyes?

"Does the name _Harry Potter_ mean anything to you?" Remus continued. "Does the expression, 'The Boy Who _Lived_,' ring any bells?"

"Of course, everyone knows the story of Harry Potter, how he was the only one ever to survive a curse that should have killed him. I understand your sentiment, Remus. Unfortunately, Harry was only a baby when that happened and has been found incapable of describing the exact means of his survival. There is nothing that can be done for Hermione. Now I would suggest that you go home. I'm sure Dumbledore will notify you of when the funeral is going to be."

"No," said Remus coolly. "No, I'm not going to let Hermione die." He put his hand in his pocket, his fingers closing around his wand.

(Remus, please don't do anything rash) pleaded Hermione silently. At the same time, though, all she wanted him to do was take her home and watch over her. She wanted to live.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to leave," said Dr. Clint firmly. "I'm very sorry, but you must come to terms with her death."

"No!" Remus whipped out his wand. "Not until you tell me you'll give her a chance."

"It's against the law to threaten a doctor," Dr. Clint informed him, starting to feel alarmed. This Remus fellow was starting to look dangerous. "Please go, this is your last chance."

Remus hesitated, glancing at Hermione's face. He didn't want to break the law. Yet, breaking the law of hope, the law of decency, the law of love seemed worse. He moved to Hermione's side. "No," he stated. Shakily he scooped her up into his arms, his wand still pointed at Dr. Clint. "If you won't give her a chance, I will."

"It's five years in Azkaban to kidnap a patient from a hospital," Dr. Clint warned, drawing his own wand.

Nothing could persuade Remus against what he had decided to do, now. His wolfish territorial instincts were kicking in. Glaring at Dr. Clint, he grabbed a towel to use as a portkey.

"STUPEFY!" shouted the doctor.

"PROTEGO!" yelled Lupin. The doctor didn't duck in time, and received his own stunning spell. "Portus," muttered Lupin, pointing his wand at the towel. He grabbed Hermione's wand, which lay on a table. Within seconds, he stood in Number 12, Grimmauld Place, cradling Hermione in his arms and fighting misgivings in his heart. This was right, he just knew it. It had to be right.

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Replies to Reviewers: 

A big, big, thank you to **_Rane2920072_**, **_gordo-girl_**, **_moonyNZ,_** and **_BlackPaintedWhite_** for reviewing! I always appreciate it when people drop a note to tell me what they think:)

**_CharmedLeoLvr:_** Thanks so much! Yes, I did come up with the idea because of that case. I probably would never have thought of something like this if it didn't happen. I heard Kate Adamson on the radio talking about her experience, and she what she said gave me some good ideas for a plotline.

Preview of next chapter: _Ron, deeply disturbed, asked, "Harry, are you ok?"_

_Harry, however, either chose to ignore him or wasn't aware of his presence at all. He continued to laugh in a rather hauntingly evil manner. Ron wondered if he should go for help; he'd never seen Harry act so crazy since fifth year._


	3. Body Prisoner

A/N: I was able to get this up quickly because I felt there wasn't much to change. :) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Body Prisoner 

Hermione felt Remus pick her up. The action made her head spin sickenly. Through her nausea, she heard the doctor inform Remus that the penalty for kidnapping was five years in Azkaban. (Remus, I'm not worth that. You'd die,) she thought pleadingly. (I don't want you in trouble on my account!) She felt a hook behind her navel, and realized they were traveling by portkey. (I wonder where he's taking me.) When they arrived, he stood there a moment, cradling her in his arms. Despite her guilt at the trouble she was causing, she couldn't help but be jubilant that he was going to such lengths to save her. To give her a shot at life.

Remus strode over to the couch, gently lowering Hermione onto it. "I don't know if you can hear me, but you're in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. I'm going upstairs to prepare a room for you. Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can."

Remus tiptoed upstairs, trying not to wake up the portrait of Sirius's mother. He pulled out his wand and magically prepared his guest room for her within a few minutes.

In the mean time, Hermione fought back waves of panic. She knew he'd said he'd be right back, but in this helpless state, she hated being alone. If something happened, there was no way to defend herself. If something happened to him, she was a goner, and a slow, painful death it would be. (Think positively, Hermione. You've never read a recovery story about someone who wasn't,) she tried to reassure herself, in vain. She'd never felt such terror in her life.

Nothing was more welcoming than the sound of Remus coming back down the stairs. Hermione grimaced inwardly. He would have to pick her up to move her to the guest room. Moving wasn't pleasant right now. However, there was no way to communicate this to him. Unaware of her nausea, he scooped her up and carried her up the stairs. She felt him turn left. The movement sickened her so much, she lost consciousness.

Remus settled her into the bed, making sure she was in a comfortable position, before running downstairs again. He pulled out his wand, and set the strongest sealing spells he knew on the front door. He covered the place with anti-apparation and portkey spells, and blocked the fireplace from Floo Powder. He was sure it wouldn't be long until the Ministry found out where he lived, and started hunting him down. He wasn't sure what side Dumbledore was on, but Remus felt that Dumbledore probably disproved of Remus's actions. (I need to buy time, as much time as I can, to give Hermione a chance to come around before I'm caught and sentenced,) he determined. He occupied the next couple hours securing the place tightly against all entry.

Before he knew it, it was dinnertime. Now he was faced with a problem. How was he going to feed Hermione? (I'm sure it's in a book somewhere,) he concluded, heading up to the mini library upstairs. He glanced in Hermione's room on his way. There was no change. He grimly continued, and retrieved a few books from the shelf. He was about to go back downstairs, when a thought occurred to him. Hermione loved to read. If she was conscious at all, he was sure she'd love it if he read to her.

He turned right into her room, and sat down on a chair next to her bed. "Hermione, I'm trying to figure out how to feed you, so I'm going to be reading these books to you. I hope you can hear me, and that it would help in some way."

Hermione woke to the sound of Remus's voice. She felt a surge of terror as she remembered her state of helplessness. But as he read to her, she found herself relaxing. Many of these spells were ones she'd never heard of. (It doesn't seem like they'll do me much good, though. I can't even open my eyes,) Hermione thought with a deep pang.

"AH! Here's one," he said triumphantly. "It sounds like it should work. Wizards like to use it when they have a sore throat and don't want to swallow. I'll be back in a bit, Hermione. You know, I could use this one myself, after a long night of howling," he commented as he walked out the door. "It's hard on the throat."

He was about to enter the kitchen when he stopped suddenly. Full moon was one month away. If Hermione showed no change, what would he do? Wrap chains around himself? Seal himself in the basement? He didn't even have Wolfsbane potion now. He doubted Snape would smuggle it to him. Remus felt a pang of dread. It'd been two years since he'd been without Wolfsbane potion. Dumbledore had insisted Snape make it for him, since he was a fellow Order member. Now he was probably expelled from the Order, and he no longer had that benefit. Not only would Remus be wounded and weakened considerably more than usual, but there posed an even greater risk to Hermione as well. At the best of times, he was dangerous in his wolf state. But Hermione wouldn't have a chance against him, if he should break free. (She's better off here, then dying at the hospital,) he reminded himself. But potentially being responsible for Hermione's death because of his condition wasn't something he wanted to face.

Remus resumed walking into the kitchen, checking his cupboards for something he thought Hermione would like. (Spaghetti is safe, I think,) he thought. (It's easy to grind up and cook.)

Hermione listened intently to the sounds in the kitchen, wondering what Remus was up to. She hoped he would give her lots of water, she was _so_ parched. She fought back her feelings of claustrophobia as she tried to focus on the positive. What positive did she have? (Well, Remus is going to take care of me and try to make me better. I can, at least, hear what's going on. I do have a general feeling of my body. Other than my stomach, head, throat, and mouth, I'm feeling pretty comfortable.) She spent the rest of the time that she waited wondering how Harry, Ron, and the others were doing. (I'm missing _so_ much school,) she realized, hysteria threatening to take over again.

Remus, fortunately, interrupted her negative thoughts. "I'm back, Hermione. I hope you like spaghetti. I have some water here too. Don't worry about the spell, I tried it on myself first to be sure that I did it right." She felt the bed shift downward and left as Remus sat down on it. She heard him mutter some spells, and marveled as she felt the food running through her system without her having to do anything. Remus sighed, pausing a moment. He had no idea how much to give her. (I think I'll give her how much I eat,) he decided. He continued until he reached his regular portion, then stopped. He did the same with the water. He stayed there while he ate. "Scourgify!" he said, pointing his wand at the bowl when he was done. "Wingardium Leviosa." With some flicks of his wand, he set the dish on the table. "I don't know about you, Hermione, but I'm tired. Full moon was last night, you know. I'll be going to bed now." He smiled. "Sweet dreams."

He glanced back as he left. Was it his imagination, or had her face contorted into a stricken look? He paused, trying to see if she made any more movement. He began reconsidering going to his own room. Somehow, it didn't seem right to leave her alone. (I'll sleep on her floor,) he concluded. "Well, Hermione, since you seem to be upset that I'm leaving you alone, I think I'll sleep on your floor. Accio blankets! Accio pillow!" His own blankets and pillow came zooming into the room. He laid himself down on the floor.

Hermione, who felt comparatively quite at ease while Remus ate dinner on her bed, felt her hysteria return when Remus announced he was leaving her for the night. Being alone for hours on end wasn't something she wanted to go through again. She'd experienced that at St. Mungo's, and it had been hell. (DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE IN THIS PRISON!) she shrieked, but of course, her body didn't respond. She was about to despair when Remus said something surprising. He'd detected that she was upset. How? Did it somehow show in her face? When she realized this, and the fact that Remus wasn't leaving, she relaxed again. It would be a difficult night, but at least she wouldn't be completely alone.

Harry picked at his dinner plate moodily. Over the course of the day, his friends decided it was best to leave him alone. He didn't seem to want company, and they were right. Behind his stony expression, he hurt more than he'd ever had before. Losing Sirius certainly had hurt terribly. Sirius was the only real parent he'd ever had. But Hermione, she'd always been there. They'd been together for seven years, through thick and thin. She and Ron were his best friends. Hermione was so close to him that some people thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend, but it wasn't the case. He loved her like a sister. She'd been there, even more so than Ron sometimes.

Harry glanced at Ron. Poor Ron; he was grieving too, and he'd failed Snape's essay. Harry sighed. What was he ever going to do without Hermione? How was he going to make it through the rest of school? More importantly, how was he going to face Voldemort? Hermione had always played a vital role in his previous confrontations. In his first year, she'd figured out the Potions riddle and saved them from Devil's Snare. In his second year, she'd brewed Polyjuice Potion, and gave him the clue about the basilisk. Third year, through her Time Turner, they saved Sirius. Fourth year, she'd taught him the summoning spell, which had saved his life in the first and last tasks of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Those were only a few examples among the many things Hermione had done, that he could never have done on his own.

He stood up abruptly and marched to his dorm in Gryffindor Tower. He heard a patter of feet behind him, and realized that Ron was running after him. When they reached the dorm, Harry sat down angrily on his bed, and Ron closed the door. Harry picked up his pillow and threw it on the floor. Ron stayed back, wondering what was going to happen next.

Harry suddenly pressed his hand to his scar, a pained look on his face. A crazed expression entered his eyes. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Harry laughed maniacally. He fell on the floor, rolling and pounding his fists. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ron, deeply disturbed, asked, "Harry, are you ok?"

Harry, however, either chose to ignore him or wasn't aware of his presence at all. He continued to laugh in a rather hauntingly evil manner. Ron wondered if he should go for help; he'd never seen Harry act so crazy since fifth year.

"Pity Potty, he's lost his best friend!" he shouted. "Pity Potty misses his Mudblood!"

Ron's eyes widened. Harry was being possessed! He ran from the room. "MCGONAGALL! DUMBLEDORE! SOMEBODY HELP!"

He ran into Ginny. "What's happening?" she asked.

"Harry's being possessed by Voldemort!" he whispered. "We need help now!"

"I'll get them, you watch over Harry," instructed Ginny. They both sprinted in their separate directions.

Ron returned to his dorm, to find Harry still rolling on the floor, shouting with glee in between roaring laughter. "Nothing to fear from Voldemort is there, now? Voldemort is a weak old Mudblood who'll be captured in a heartbeat now, they say! Pity Potty will learn his lesson! It won't matter that I have no followers, I don't need them to say AVADA KEVADRA!"

Ron's face grew pale at the harsh sound of Harry's voice. It entered his mind how fearful Harry would be, if he ever became like Voldemort. (Thank goodness he's made better choices than Tom Riddle did,) he thought.

Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Ginny burst into the room. Harry leaped up to attack Dumbledore, hatred raging in his eyes. "Dumbledore fool! Choosing love over power!" Harry shouted mockingly. Dumbledore calmly raised his wand and muttered a spell.

Harry collapsed, shrieking in pain. His scar was burning like never before. He gasped for breath as it slowly receded.

"Harry, you must tell me _everything_ that led up to this. What did you do, and what were you thinking about?" Dumbledore requested urgently.

Harry recounted dinner, coming into the dorm, and throwing the pillow. "I was thinking about Hermione," he confessed, his voice strained.

Dumbledore's eyes held a thoughtful expression. "I think I know the answer," he said. "After Sirius's death, you were prone to be more susceptible to being possessed, because of the -" Dumbledore was going to say _weak_, but he didn't think Harry would like that - "occupied state of your mind. Now you are encountering the same problem again. I think you should resume Occlumency, and I will teach you this time."

Harry nodded resignedly. At least he wouldn't have to be taught by Snape. Occlumency certainly wasn't going to be an easy thing to do with Hermione gone. Nothing was.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers: 

**_Mithril-Moony: _**Yes, it first entered my mind because ofTerri Schiavo.The whole ordeal gave me the idea to write a Remus/Hermione fanfiction with Hermione being in a vegetative state.The main source for ideas, though, was Kate Adamson, she's the biggest influence here. I heard her talking about her experience on the radio. The rest I just made up. :) I'm glad you love it! Thanks for reviewing!

**_CharmedLeoLvr:_** Yes, I did make Dr. Clint rather evil, didn't I? This chapter was fun to write. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**_LupinLover99:_** Thanks for reviewing twice, it's always appreciated! Yay, you like this story too. :)

**_moonyNZ:_** Yeah, I was trying to figure out how to get them to give up on her while keeping them in character. I decided that they just wouldn't know she was alive, except for the people at the hospital and Dumbledore. Dumbledore was hard! I tried my best to have Dr. Clint make a convincing case against her. Even so, I think the real Dumbledore wouldn't have given up, but I needed it to happen with this story. Yes, I hope it'll be good, thanks! My romance plot fell apart in chapter twelve, so I'm trying to rewrite chapters so it's fixed. Hopefully it'll turn out ok. Thank you for your review!

**_Le Grimoire:_** Thanks for your opinion! Yes, it is sad. My next one I plan to make much more light hearted and funny. Yes, there might be a happy ending. :) I've never seen anyone do the thought thing in stories very much, so I decided to make up my own rules on the grammar with it, LOL! In my unposted, original stories, I did use italics. I like to use parenthesis now because there are times when I like to emphasize certain words with italics, and I can't do that if it's already in italics. So, basically you think I should treat parenthesis like quotation marks? I'll try that.

**_Radingsouls4u:_** Thanks, your encouragement is really appreciated, I couldn't continue without it!

Preview of next chapter: _Ginny's eyes darkened. She'd read a blurb about Remus and Hermione in the Daily Prophet. Undoubtedly Trelawny had read that, and somehow knew that Harry didn't. What a fake._


	4. Embarrassing Problems

A/N: I have a beta reader, Le Grimoire! Thanks for volunteering, and the review. :) Thoughts are different now, there's no parenthesis, it's apostrophe marks. Also, stars didn't work to makethe break between Remus and Harry (they disappeared), so I made a line instead.Enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Embarrassing Problems**_

Remus groaned and rolled over on the floor. It was morning, and he was beginning to regret forgetting to bring a mattress into the room. He felt very sore. Tonight he would be sure to bring one.

His eyes opened as the events of yesterday began to sink in. He had broken the law. He was a criminal on the run from the Ministry. _An outlaw._ Never in his life did he think it would end up like this. If he were caught, he would be sent to Azkaban, just like Sirius. Except in his case, he would not be falsely accused. There would be no acquittal for Remus Lupin. 'Abandoning Hermione would have been worse, wouldn't it?' he thought rationally.

He sat up, peeking at Hermione on her bed. Still no change. She appeared to be rather sweaty, though. Was she hot, or was she sweating from anxiety, or from some medical condition he did not know about?

'Regardless, I'm going to need to give her a bath,' he realized. His face turned bright red. How was he going to do that, without embarrassing the both of them? Helping her go to the bathroom was comparatively easy. All he needed to do was use his wand, and a towel to hide anything he should not see.

For the first time in his life, he wished he were a girl. It would make things so much easier. For a split second, he considered just not giving her one, but that would not be good for her health. There was not point in delaying; no one else could do it for him. 'I'll have to look in the library for a spell I could use,' he decided, thanking his lucky stars he carried the magic gene. Using magic could save him much embarrassment today.

"Good morning, Hermione," he said aloud. "I'll be back soon with breakfast." He walked out of the room, grabbed a few books from the library, and was about to leave, when a book caught his eye: _A Pensieve for Your Thoughts._

'I didn't know we had that here,' he thought.

He hurried downstairs and made pancakes. He filled two mugs of water and levitated them up the stairs. Absently, he fed Hermione and read the book to himself, his embarrassment growing. He glanced at her. 'I wish there was some way I could at least see if she's conscious, and ask her permission,' he thought. 'Even if I don't see her, well, it's still uncomfortable.'

His thoughts wandered for a moment. Could he try to do Legilimens and force himself into her mind? 'But I'm not very good at Legilimens, he realized, 'The only thing I know is how to use a Pensieve.' He frowned, an idea beginning to form. He did not know if it would work, or if it was even possible.

There was only one way to find out. He got up, retrieved _A Pensieve for Your Thoughts_ from his library, and scanned the pages. Soon he found what he was looking for. Beginning to feel excited, he set the book down and sprinted to the Order of Phoenix meeting room, grabbed the Pensieve that was kept there, and returned.

He stopped, beginning to feel apprehensive. What if she never had been conscious? What if everything he had risked was in vain? Grimly, he set the instrument down and picked up his wand. Soon he would know. "Hermione, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to do an experiment that will help you communicate with me. I need your full cooperation. You need to relax completely, and open up your mind to me. I want you to think of your first memory after you saw the green light. Concentrate on that, and only that. I'm going to attempt to place it in the Pensieve."

Hermione made no indication that she had heard him. He pointed his wand at her forehead, muttering the appropriate spell. A silvery wisp of something began leaking out. He eased it over and dropped it into the Pensieve. His heart beating fast, he plunged his head into the liquid.

Everything was dark, an oppressive dark. For a moment, his heart sank. Hermione was indeed unconscious, and possibly brain dead. What was he thinking when he rescued her? He was no doctor. He didn't know what he was doing. He was about to pull his head out of the Pensieve when he started hearing voices.

"— such a shame. She was Harry Potter's friend, you know." It was a woman speaking, an old woman, by the sound of it.

"Really?" a younger sounding woman said. "That's terrible that he's had to suffer another loss. Yet another person's life destroyed by You-Know-Who."

"She's not dead yet," the older woman whispered. "She's a case just like young Rupert's. Quite tragic, really. It's only a matter of time."

"Oh," the young woman said. "That's horrible."

Remus heard the sound of the door closing. He lifted his head above the Pensieve, tears forming in his eyes. What a horrible thing for Hermione to hear. 'But this means— she can hear me! She followed my instructions, didn't she? This spell requires cooperation, and she gave it.' Remus stood still for a moment, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Hermione," he whispered. "On the other hand, though, this is quite exciting. We can communicate now! I'll ask you a question, and you can give me a memory that would best illustrate your answer." He used his wand to replace the memory in her head.

He stood there a minute, shifting awkwardly. This was not going to be pleasant. "I need your permission to do something, Hermione. I promise I'll do my best to get it done in the least embarrassing way possible. I need to give you a shower, and I wanted to know if you know of any spell that might help get that done without, well, me having to do it myself. I don't want to subject you to that." If Remus' face got any redder, his face would have turned into a tomato. "Think of a good memory that will illustrate your answer, like you did before, and I'll look into it. Here I go." He pointed his wand at her forehead, and muttered the spell again. When the process was complete, he dipped his head into the Pensieve like before.

He found himself standing in Professor Flitwick's classroom. Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat in a group together near the front. Remus's eyes brightened at the sight of a happy, healthy, Hermione. She sat there, intently listening to the Charms professor, completely oblivious to Remus's presence.

Remus's eyes searched the classroom, wondering why Hermione sent him this particular memory. He started listening to what Flitwick was saying.

"Now I'd like to teach you the Lustral Charm. It is useful for enchanting things such as brooms, towels, and sponges to clean objects. There's two versions of the Charm, one for washing, one for drying. The incantation for washing is 'Pono Sal.' Repeat after me: Pono Sal."

"Pono Sal," the class repeated.

"The one for drying is 'Careo Sal.' Repeat after me: Careo Sal."

"Careo Sal."

"Who would like to volunteer for a demonstration?" asked Flitwick.

Remus was not surprised to see Hermione's hand shoot immediately into the air. He smiled sadly. She used to be so vibrant, now she could not even open her eyes. The memory faded to black, and Remus removed his head from the Pensieve.

He thought about what he had just seen. Evidently, Hermione thought he could use the Lustral Charms to get the job done. He grinned to himself. Sirius had used those charms for a prank on the Slytherin common room during their school years. It had been quite funny, and one of the few things that Sirius had gotten away with.

A plan formed in his mind. He could do it without being excessively embarrassing. But still, was Hermione really okay with this? "Hermione, are you sure you want me to do this?" He went through the process of obtaining a representative memory from her, and entered it.

Hermione frantically searched her memory that would be a good representative of what she wanted to say. It was not often that people asked her if she was sure about something. Usually, when she hung out with people like Ron and Harry, she was trying to hold them back, and they were insistently urging her forward. She picked one of the first ones that entered into her mind. She realized, too late, that it might give the wrong impression, if he took its meaning wrong. However, Remus gave her no time to choose another one.

Remus found himself in the Hogwarts Library. Hermione sat at a table, reading, as usual. He saw a boy looking at her nervously from a nearby bookcase. He looked to be about seventeen. He gingerly approached her, and, after a moment, tapped her on the shoulder.

Hermione looked up. "Hello, Viktor Krum," she said with a smile.

"Hello, Hermy-on. Call me Viktor," he said.

"How are you doing?" asked Hermione conversationally.

"Great! Listen, I wanted to ask you something," he started. "Would you go out to the ball with me?"

Hermione's eyes brightened. "Yes, that sounds great!"

"Really?" said Viktor. "No one else has asked you?"

"No one else has," she confirmed. "I'll go with you!" She beamed at him.

The memory faded. Remus stood up with a smile. So the famous Quidditch player had asked her out during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. She had never told him. Of course, she never had a reason to. It was none of his business.

So what was she telling him through the memory? Evidently, the tone was positive so she was probably saying yes. 'She really trusts me,' he realized. 'Or maybe it's just because she has no choice but to trust me.' His face darkened as he thought about her "doctor." Hermione was conscious. Or wasn't the doctor competent enough to know whether she was or not? Who knew? It did not matter now, he had a task to do, and the sooner he got done with it, the better.

"I'll go and get things ready," he said, and left the room.

* * *

Harry sat in Divination class. Usually Firenze taught, but Professor Trelawney was substituting today, her sixth year class joining them. It was just his luck. He hardly needed to listen to her predict his so- called imminent death again. Ron slumped next to him, looking bored out of his wits. Today they were reviewing crystal gazing. Try as he might, all Harry could see was his own reflection. 'This whole class is one big sham,' he thought, 'Firenze just teaches it more pleasantly.'

It entered his mind how Hermione walked out of this class in third year, never to return. 'I must not think about her. Dumbledore warned me not to. Otherwise, Voldemort might possess me again. I have to do something.' He leaned over to Ron. "This class is so boring," he said in an undertone.

"No kidding," Ron whispered back. Dumbledore had told him to keep Harry busy, so he had a feeling he knew why Harry kept saying random, obvious things like this to him. "I still wonder why Dumbledore keeps this as a required class."

"I sure would like to know, too," said Harry. They both quickly stopped talking when Trelawney strode their way.

"What do you see, Harry?" she asked.

'Why don't I say the Grim and get it over with,' he thought irritably, 'She's sure to predict my death.' "Fog," he said lazily. It was true; the glass ball looked pretty foggy.

"Let me have a look," she ordered. Harry's heart sank. Thinking about her impending dark prediction made him think about Hermione. His scar began to burn. 'Oh no! I must do something, anything!' "Lovely weather, isn't it?" he blurted.

"Bloody brilliant, it is," agreed Ron, catching on and glancing out the window. "I love rainstorms."

Trelawney gazed intently into the ball. Suddenly her eyes widened and she stepped back, clutching her chest with a gasp. 'Here goes the drama queen,' thought Harry. 'Tell us, Trelawney, who's dying?' "You have the Grim!" she announced. "A friend will betray you, and another good friend of yours will die."

Ginny's eyes darkened. She had read the blurb about Remus and Hermione in the _Daily Prophet_. Undoubtedly, Trelawney had read that, and somehow knew that Harry had not. What a fake.

Harry's scar began burning intensely. He felt his temper flare. Did Trelawney think he was made of steel? How insensitive was that statement, after Hermione... Harry stood up, fists clenched. Maybe he would pull a Hermione and storm out of Divination class. Hermione... Hermione... Hermione... Several crystal balls magically shattered as Harry's emotions went out of control. Ron, recognizing that Voldemort was about to take over, kicked Harry hard in attempt to bring him out of his daze, but it was no use.

Harry collapsed on the floor, laughing maniacally, pounding his fists. "Potter misses his friend! Potter wants Trelawney to stop making predictions that ruin his life!"

Ron's eyes widened. Was Voldemort about to mention the Prophecy? He dived down on top of Harry, wrestling him still and clapping a hand over his mouth. "I'll take him to Madam Pomfrey," he volunteered.

"Go right ahead, Ron," she said. Ron dragged Harry out of class, heading for Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore would know what to do better than Madam Pomfrey.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers: 

**_Radingsouls4u:_** Thanks a million for reviewing!

**_MoonyNZ:_** Yes, I thought she probably would, LOL! Great, you thought it was good! Thank for your review. :)

**_CharmedLeoLvr:_** Yes, I've heard so many stories about how sick and disabled people have been able to make miraculous recoveries, and they mainly credit the love and support of family and friends. I thought it could definitely apply here. :) Not to give away anything, of course. ;) Thank you for reviewing!

**_BlackPaintedWhite:_** LOL Yes, I thought it was funny too from the beginning, you know, because when people think of vegetables they usually think of the kind you eat. Kind of a weird title for a romance fanfiction. Really? I thought comas were when you're brain dead temporarily or permanently. Well, anyway, I'm not a medical expert, as I've said in my first author's note, LOL, I'm sure you're right. Chapters five through twelve are being revised, and I'm not sure how many chapters will come after that. Maybe there will be about twenty total, I think, no promises though. I definitely plan to continue writing. Thanks for reviewing!

**_Rane2920072:_** Thanks so much for reviewing twice! Yes, hopefully this week won't be as crazy as the last week and a half have been. :) You have a great week too!

**_LupinLover99:_** Yay! Another review, thanks so much!

Preview of next chapter: _Harry nodded silently, his throat tightening. "Are her parents having a funeral?" he inquired._

"_They would like to, but what happened yesterday, of course, makes that difficult," commented Dumbledore. "Most unfortunate, don't you think?"_

_Harry's eyes widened. "What? What happened yesterday? What's unfortunate?"_


	5. A Pensieve for Your Thoughts

A/N: Sorry about the wait. Enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

A Pensieve for Your Thoughts 

Hermione waited tensely for Remus to come back. It was quite a lot of trust that Remus asked of her. She knew, though, if she could trust anybody, it was he. Still, it was not a situation she wanted to be in. She could tell that he did not like it either. However, they did not really have a choice. It wasn't like he could go out and kidnap a girl to do it for him. Then he really _would_ be a criminal.

Hermione tried to focus on something else. Really. She literally couldn't lift a finger, anyway; she could just tune everything out. The fact that they could communicate by Pensieve was the best thing that happened to her since Remus had taken her into his care. Sure, it was not the most accurate way to converse, but it certainly was better than not communicating at all.

Hermione sighed noiselessly. Soon he would move her again, and she wasn't looking forward to it. 'I'll probably pass out again,' she thought glumly. 'Maybe it would be better if I did, though.' She found herself wondering what was happening at school, and what Ron and Harry were up to. 'Next time he wants me to tell him something, I'll give him a memory of me asking,' she decided.

She heard footsteps entering the room. "Let's get this over with, Hermione," said Remus tensely. He scooped her up, and she could feel how rigid he was. He set her down in the bathroom and took a deep breath. 'I can do this.' he thought, trying to quell his tension.

Hermione noted, with surprise, that the movement did not bother her as much as last time. She felt him ease her onto a towel and fold the rest of it over her.

A heavy silence followed. 'Get a grip, Remus,' he told himself. 'You're just giving her a _bath._ A kind, charitable act for a disabled person. Never mind that you're a man, she's a woman not related to you, and we're all alone in this house.'

"We'll get this done quickly," he promised her again. Setting his jaw, he used his wand to undress her while she stayed hidden under the towel. Wrapping her tightly in it, he picked her up and set her in the bath tub. He pulled the curtain shut, and muttered a levitation spell. He could vaguely see her shadow change to a standing position through the curtain. He threw a sponge in the space between the top of the curtain and the ceiling. "Pono Sal," he ordered.

When he saw the shadow of the sponge getting to work, he turned away and stood out of sight, next to the door. There; he was halfway through the most embarrassing part.

Hermione began to wonder if she should have suggested using the Lustral Charm. It was meant for things such as floors, tubs, and sinks. The sponge scrubbed so very _hard_. And yet, it felt good in a way. It brought more feeling to her body, and she almost felt like she could move. She began trying. The barest twitch, here and there, was all she could manage. It felt huge to Hermione, however, because her brain underreacted to the slightest movement on her part.

Remus waited for about five minutes, and decided that was enough. "Careo Sal," he intoned, pointing his wand at the sponge's shadow. The sponge instantly changed from wet to dry. He waited a couple more minutes before using his wand to set her down. "Accio sponge." It came flying at him, and vigorously shook in his hand. 'Great, I forgot to ask how to stop it.'

"Stupefy," he tried. The sponge cracked into a million pieces, which each scrubbed the floor in different directions. 'I'll take care of that later,' he decided. 'Right now I have Hermione to worry about.'

"Accio towel," he said. The towel flew at him over the curtain. He caught it. "I swear on my mum's bible my eyes are closed," he swore, as he opened the curtain and laid the towel over Hermione. He couldn't see, and he prayed that he had covered her completely.

Hermione had never felt so vulnerable in her life. She trusted Remus, but she just _had_ to know. Were his eyes really closed? She concentrated all the force of her being on her eyes, twitching them fiercely. For a whole, lovely moment, her eyes cracked open. She could see Remus's face right above hers, and his eyes, to her satisfaction, were tightly shut. Then her eyes closed, and she was seized with a splitting headache. Her head spun as she felt him pull her up by the shoulders and wrap her in the towel. He redressed her with his wand and pulled the towel off. He sighed with relief. There, that was done.

"Now I'm going to wash your hair in the sink," he informed her. He picked up a brush and started working the knots out of her hair gently. It began to sink in with her just how much she was at his mercy. Not only his, but anyone's mercy. The thought scared and irritated her. 'I want to do something for myself,' she thought, her temper rising, 'I hate being little miss invalid!' She cooled down a bit as he ran water over her hair and began massaging shampoo into it. His soothing movements really helped her headache to recede.

Remus felt a bit of frustration as he viewed her mute face. He wished she could respond, show some outward sign of life. On impulse he began massaging her face. "Can you move at all, Hermione?" he asked softly.

Hermione could feel all her nerves spring to life at the touch of his hands on her face. She concentrated again on her eyes. They flickered and twitched promisingly. Remus lightly stroked the sides of her face right next to her eyes, hoping to stimulate them into opening. Hermione felt like dead weights were holding her eyes down. She continued trying, until–

Hermione felt a rush of joy as her eyes snapped open. She immediately began squinting. The room was much too bright, and it gave her a headache. Hermione ignored the pain and looked into Remus's eyes, which were wide in surprise. He beamed at her. "Nice to see you back in the land of the living," he said excitedly. He looked at her critically. "It hurts, though, doesn't it?"

Her eyes grew glassly and her eyes teared up, not because she was upset, but because of the pain. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep her eyes open, but to her grave disappointment, her eyes closed and wouldn't open again. She felt him hug her tightly. "That was great, Hermione," he whispered genuinely in her ear. "It's a start. You'll get better, I just know it."

* * *

Ron heaved Harry up the stairs to Dumbledore's office. It certainly was no easy task, Harry fought every inch of the way. To his relief, Dumbledore appeared at the top of the stairs, his face grim. Dumbledore muttered a spell, and Harry collapsed. "Thanks, sir," gasped Ron. "Harry can really put up a fight."

Harry groaned in pain. "You're welcome, Ron," reponded Dumbledore. "You may return to class now. I'll see to Harry."

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore," said Ron obediently, walking back down the stairs.

Dumbledore pulled Harry up. "Are you all right, Harry?"

"I'm - I'm fine," he insisted.

Dumbledore let go of him. "Come to my office. We have something to discuss."

With mounting embarrassment, Harry followed the headmaster to his office. He'd been possessed in front of the _whole_ class. The rumors about him being insane were sure to resurface now.

Dumbledore sat at his desk, and Harry stood in front of him, preparing for his lecture. "Harry, I have an offer to make," he said simply. Harry waited expectantly. "I think, in light of recent of events, you should make use of my Pensieve. Now, it won't erase the memory of - her, or take away the pain, but it will no longer be foremost on your mind. Voldemort will still try to possess you, but I think it'll be harder for him to take over if she is off your mind."

Harry nodded silently, his throat tightening. "Are her parents having a funeral?" he inquired.

"They would like to, but what happened yesterday, of course, makes that difficult," commented Dumbledore. "Most unfortunate, don't you think?"

Harry's eyes widened. "What? What happened yesterday? What's unfortunate?"

"You don't read the Daily Prophet?" asked Dumbledore. He handed Harry the paper. "Prepare for a shock."

Harry took in the headline: "Werewolf Steals Girl's Body From Hospital." Harry glanced at the very uncomplimentary picture of Remus Lupin, and a much nicer looking, separate picture of Hermione. Harry's jaw dropped. He read the article in stunned silence. He hardly conmprehended the facts as he read it in a rush. The article portrayed Remus as a vicious, evil, villain who stormed into the hospital, stunning everyone in his way and taking Hermione's body by force to an unknown location by portkey. They had all sorts of quotes about how Remus was a menace to society, and should be sent straight to Azkaban without a trial. Hermione's parents were distraught, and swore to sue Remus in court. It made no mention of how Hermione had died, but did say she was an innocent, heroic friend of the famous Harry Potter.

Harry let the paper fall to the desk. "I - I don't understand," he stuttered. "This is way out of character for him."

"It's not entirely clear to me either, Harry. I've been thinking on it all day, and after looking into it, I've come to some conclusions. I have no way of knowing if they're true, but it's my best guess."

"Go on," urged Harry impatiently.

"Let's look at this from Remus's point of view, something the paper, I daresay, failed to do," he started. "Two nights ago, it was full moon. Naturally, he went to the hospital for his usual checkup. While he was there, he must have heard about Hermione, and decided to visit her."

"But why?" demanded Harry. "She's dead!"

"Harry," started Dumbledore grimly. "I'm afraid you have every right to be angry with me now. I've withheld something from you. At the time, I felt it was for the best. I can see that I was mistaken."

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"Hermione isn't _quite_ dead. The doctor explained to me, in quite reasonable terms, that there is no hope for her to ever return to consciousness, and have any kind of responsiveness to the world. He was going to wait for her to officially die."

"She. Is. Not. Dead?" said Harry slowly, stunned.

"Not _officially,_ Harry, but perhaps she is now, the article gives that impression."

"But why would Remus do that? It said he stole her body, and was violent!"

"You know as well as I do, Harry, the discrimmination against werewolves. From what I can glean, he did indeed take her by force from the hospital. I believe there might have been some sort of mild confrontation before he managed to get away."

"But how can we know for sure that it was him? It might have been someone else," said Harry desperately.

"There can be no doubt it _was_ him, Harry," Dumbledore explained, sighing heavily. "I tried to enter Number 12, Grimmauld Place in various ways, but it was sealed against me. Remus is hiding out there, and probably knows full well that he's in trouble with the law."

"BUT WHY?" shouted Harry. He didn't want to lose someone else to the clutches of Azkaban. Especially Remus, of all people. How could this have happened?

"That's what I'm trying to find out, Harry," explained Dumbledore. "As of yet, I have not notified the Ministry that I know of his whereabouts. I wish to give him a chance. I trust him completely, and I know he wouldn't do something like this without very good reason. He must doubt that I'm on his side. But why? What could have happened?" Dumbledore frowned in puzzlement, staring into space.

Harry's heart told him why Remus must have done it. It was what he would have wanted to do if he was in his shoes, but probably wouldn't have carried it out as successfully. "He wants to give her a chance," said Harry. "He found out she's still alive. That what I think. That's what it _must_ be."

"You may be right," conceded Dumbledore. "But let's not jump to conclusions. You have classes to attend, Harry. Let's put your thoughts in the Pensieve."

Harry, with Dumbledore's help, put his most weighty thoughts about Hermione in the Pensieve. He felt much better afterwards.

"Remember your Occlumency lessons are here, tonight, at seven," called Dumbledore as Harry strode out the door.

"I'll be there," Harry promised.

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Replies to Reviewers:

**_Radingsouls4u:_** I guess that makes me weird too, LOL, I thought it was funny. :) I thought about not having her be able to talk at all until near the end of the story, but I thought that would get boring, so I came up with the Pensieve, I'm glad you liked that. Thanks for your review:)

**_Helli:_** Here you go. :) Thanks so much for your review!

**_Mithril-Moony:_** Thanks a bunch! Sorry about the longer wait than usual.

**_BlackPaintedWhite_**: Hopefully you'll be able to read this chapter. I don't see why parental controls would block you from reading chapter 4, though. The "T" rating is on the high side for this story, it could probably pass for a "K+." Are there particular words it blocks or something? If so, I could change them. Thanks for reviewing!

Preview of next chapter:_"Great! Now, I'm going to go make us some lunch." He voiced the menu, and, through the Pensieve, he was able to find out what she preferred. He was about to leave the room when there was a sound that made them both freeze with fear._


	6. Communication Avenues

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Communication Avenues 

Remus eased Hermione onto the bed, his heart lighter. There, that ordeal was over. She had given him hope that she would recover by managing to open her eyes, a significant improvement. He was eager to get her to do it again. Since massaging seemed to help her, he decided to give it another try. "Hermione, I'm going to help you open your eyes again. Please don't get upset if it doesn't work, I'm sure you will be able to open them again soon, if not now."

He lightly touched his fingertips to her face, and she flinched slightly. "Does that hurt?" he wondered, grabbing his wand. When he had obtained her memory, he plunged his head into the Pensieve.

He was at the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, which was thrown to celebrate the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He glanced around and saw Hermione dancing with Viktor Krum nearby. He hastily followed the pair. For some reason, it bothered him to see Viktor holding Hermione so close.

"Haffing a good time?" asked Viktor.

"Yes, splendid," Hermione replied. Suddenly Viktor tripped and stepped on her foot.

"Sorry, Herm-oh-ninny," he apologized. "Do you want to stop?"

"No, I'm fine," Hermione insisted. Remus could tell though, that Viktor was more at home on a broom than on the dance floor.

The memory faded, and Remus lifted his head. So she was not in pain, or insisted on taking it if she was. Then why did she flinch? Oh, well, he would never know. It didn't matter. He began massaging her face again, concentrating mostly on the eyes. He liked her eyes, how kind they looked, unless she was scolding Harry and Ron, who usually deserved it. He smiled to himself. He missed her, the way she used to be. She just had to get better, or a big bright part of his life would be missing.

He could feel her trembling a little, probably from trying too hard, he supposed. He began stroking her lightly just below her eyes. To his joy, her eyes shot open at his touch. "You did it," he stated proudly. "Let's see how long you can keep them open."

It was darker in here than in the bathroom, so it was less painful to keep her eyes open. She squinted as her eyes adjusted, and her eyelids shook from the effort to keep them open. She could feel her eyes tearing up again, but she determinedly ignored it. She blinked slowly. Her eyes were adjusted now, and she could see the room more clearly. As she couldn't turn her head, she did not see much of it. Instead, she focused on Remus's face.

"I want you to try something for me, Hermione," said Remus, getting an idea. "Can you wink your right eye?" She did. "How about your left?" That side proved to be harder, but he could tell she was winking, even if it wasn't all the way. "How about when you wink your right eye, it means yes, and when it's your left, it means no?"

Hermione winked her right eye.

"Great! Now, I'm going to go make us some lunch." He told her the menu, and, through the Pensieve, he was able to find out what she preferred. He was about to leave the room when there was a sound that made them both freeze with fear.

A Phoenix call sounded up the stairs. 'It's Fawkes,' realized Remus. The bird was the only creature that would be able to penetrate his sealing spells. Sure enough, Fawkes swooped into the room, a letter attached to his leg. He landed on Hermione's bed and held his leg up. Remus carefully untied the letter an opened it. Hermione looked at him expectantly.

"You want me to read it to you, right?" Hermione winked yes, then closed her eyes to rest them. "All right." He began reading. "Dear Remus, It has come to my attention, via the _Daily Prophet_, of what happened yesterday." Remus paused a moment. He was in the _Daily Prophet_? That didn't bode well. "After several attempts to contact you, I have reached the understanding that you believe that nobody is siding with you. I assure you, Remus, I am most anxious to hear your side of the story, since the _Daily Prophet_ found itself incapable of even deliberating the real reason for your actions. Furthermore, I will not report your whereabouts to the Ministry, provided that you promptly respond to this letter. I wish to know exactly what happened yesterday, why you removed Hermione from St. Mungo's, and most of all, we would all like to know if Hermione yet lives. Signed, Dumbledore. P.S. I thought you would like to know what the Ministry has charged you with. They are keeping the charges quiet for now, at the request of Dr. Clint. The accusations are numerous: Kidnapping, threatening a Ministry official (the doctor), attacking a Ministry official, removing a patient against the doctor's wishes, breaking and entering, theiving, insanity, posing a menace to society, resisting arrest, failing to obey a supeona to court, se–" Remus broke off as he read the last accusation. He glanced over at Hermione, who had a questioning look in her eyes. He felt too embarrassed to say the last accusation, especially after what happened this morning. She really did not need to know, did she? "These accusations would earn you a lifetime sentence in Azkaban. Don't fret, Remus, we'll find a way out of this, if only you give me a strong case in your defense." Remus set down the paper on the table, trying not to look as down-hearted as he felt. He had to be strong for Hermione.

Fawkes waited patiently. He had been ordered not to return until Remus gave him a letter to carry back. Remus hurriedly summoned a quill and parchment and scribbled a reply, explaining everything. He glanced at Hermione. "Would you like to say anything?"

After the usual procedure, he dipped his face into the Pensieve. It showed a very young Hermione lying on a bed in Hogwarts's hospital wing. She sat up and yawned. "What happened?" she asked.

Madam Pomfrey answered her. "You were petrified for a couple months," she explained. "I just woke you up."

"What happened while I was gone? How's Harry and Ron?" she wondered eagerly.

"They've had their own visits here, but they're fine," Madam Pomfrey assured her.

As the memory vanished, Remus smiled to himself. He should have known. Of course she would want to ask after Harry and Ron. Suddenly Remus had an idea. He was sure that Hermione would be thrilled with it, if it worked out.

"All right, I can do that," he said to Hermione, adding her request to the letter, as well as his own suggestion to Dumbledore. He tied the letter to Fawkes's leg, and the Phoenix promptly disappeared.

"I don't know about you, Hermione, but I'm hungry," said Remus. "I'm going to make lunch now." He left the room, and it was not long before he returned. He fed her before eating himself.

Hermione wondered to herself what Remus had skipped in the letter. He appeared quite disturbed when he read it. What was wrong? Why did not he tell her? 'Perhaps I'm being too nosy. But it is my fault this is happening. I want to know exactly what trouble I'm causing him.' She seethed with mounting frustration from not being able to do anything for herself. She turned her eyes as far as they could go towards the letter. It was no good; she would have to turn her head. Unfortunately, that seemed just about as impossible as Remus moving a mountain with a mere _'Wingardium Leviosa_.'

Remus noted a frustrated look in Hermione's eyes. "Do you want to ask me something, Hermione?" He proceeded to immerse herself in the memory she offered him.

Harry and Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room, reading a letter. Remus leaned over their shoulders and noted it was from Fred and George Weasley. He grinned to himself, wondering what they were up to.

Hermione marched over and raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," said Ron.

"No, you aren't, you're hiding something from me. Out with it," Hermione demanded.

They looked at her, guilty smiles on their faces. "You'll find out," said Harry dismissively.

"Harry, I'm your best friend, you don't keep secrets from your best friend," she insisted. "What's in the letter?"

The memory ended. Remus's heart sank. She wanted to know the part he had omitted. What else could she have meant? His face turned red. "Hermione," he groaned, not looking at her. It entered his mind how close they were. His false accusations brought to mind something that was nagging him. 'Is she afraid of me?' he wondered. 'Does she not want me this close? Does she not like being stuck here alone with me? Should I try to find a way, some way, to get someone else to take care of her? But then I would get caught!' "Hermione, are you afraid of me? Do I make you uncomfortable? Would you like me to keep my distance? Do you feel like I've been inappropriate with you at all? Do you think I should risk trying to find a girl to take care of you?" He asked, all in one breath.

Hermione winked _no_ emphatically to each question, beginning to master moving her left eye on its own. The question, _why?_, was clearly written in her eyes. 'I couldn't bear for him to be caught, and... I like him taking care of me. I hate the thought of being with someone else. Remus is so kind and encouraging. He almost seems to understand what I'm going through. Of course, he knows what it's like to lose control of your body, it happens every month to him,' she sadly realized.

He sighed. Perhaps it was best if they did talk about what he was accused of. He certainly would never make those accusations come true, but it the general subject was an issue that needed discussing. "I've been accused of sexual harrassment," he said, grimacing. The thought of anyone doing that was disgusting, but especially to someone in her condition.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, and she glared fiercely. Remus, wondering exactly what was making her angry, extracted another memory from her.

He found himself in the kitchen here at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. The Order was assembled, and he turned and saw - himself! Hermione was talking to him, a disgusted look on her face. "Really, the way they treat werewolves is horrible! You know, I've been thinking about starting a group for werewolf rights, just like S.P.E.W., the discrimmination needs to stop!"

It ended there, and Remus turned back to Hermione. He smiled lightly. "Thanks, Hermione. However, I still think we should talk about my behavior towards you, considering we're alone in this house, and communication isn't quick and easy." He paused. "I guess I'll ask you a series of yes and no questions." He took a deep breath. He wished she could talk normally. It would make him feel less uncomfortable. "Am I allowed to show affection?" 'Maybe she would prefer that I emotionally distance myself.'

Hermione winked in the affrimative. He smiled and picked up her hand, squeezing it. He stopped a moment, and, for the first time, he began examining his feelings towards Hermione. She was just a friend, right? His ex-student. His friend's son's friend. Or was she? Did he feel something deeper for her? After all, he had found himself taking a big risk for her. "Do you have something more specific to say?" he asked, pointing his wand at her forehead.

Hermione hesitated a moment. She was beginning to develop a crush on Remus, but that wasn't something she wanted to tell him. It would never amount to anything, anyway. How could she define her relationship, so that he knew she trusted him in all situations? How did she prefer to be treated by him? She got an idea, and winked her right eye.

Remus found himself in a strange house. The only thing like it he'd seen was Harry's house. 'It must be her house,' he realized. 'Why in the world would she send me here?' He heard a door open and shut, and the running of feet. Hermione came into view. She was about eleven. He followed her into the kitchen, where she promptly ran up to the man who had entered the house and threw her arms around him. "Daddy, you're home!" she said happily. "Guess what I got today!" She pulled out a letter with the Hogwarts seal on it. 'It must be her official invitation to the school,' Remus realized as the memory faded.

Remus lifted his head and looked at Hermione critically. The meaning of this one was a bit unclear. It didn't seem to have much relevance to what he was asking. "Do you have another one, Hermione? I'm not quite sure I got what you're trying to tell me."

She gave him the affirmative wink and he got another memory. In this one, Hermione was about seven years old, sitting on a weird looking device with two wheels. Her father removed a pair of small wheels from the big back wheel, holding Hermione tightly. "I think you're ready to bike without your training wheels. But I'll hang on to you until you say to let go, I promise," he said.

"I know, I trust you, Daddy," said Hermione, beginning to pedal. At her signal, he let go, and she began biking around the driveway in front of her house. She biked back to her dad and jumped off. She hugged him and said, "I love you, Daddy!"

There was no more to it. Remus sat up, a thoughtful look on his face. He was beginning to catch on to what Hermione was trying to say. "You want us to have a father - daughter relationship?" he questioned.

Hermione winked. He was beginning to understand what she was trying to say!

"So you want me to treat you exactly like you're my daughter?"

Hermione winked her right eye again.

He smiled and chuckled a little. "You know, I've never had any kids, but I think I know what you mean." He felt relieved and disappointed at the same time. 'Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?' he wondered. Then he shrugged it off. He was just glad the air was clear.

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Replies to Reviewers: 

**_BrennaM: _**Yay! BrennaM! I was wondering what happened to you, LOL. :) Thanks so much for reviewing!

**_Dancing In Rain:_** Great, I'm happy you think I pulled it off in a believeable way. :) I thought about writing this story in other fandoms at first, but then I decided that Harry Potter would be the easiest to do it in, and the most appropriate too because of all the death and choice themes in the books. Hope you liked this chapter, and thanks for reviewing!

**_Radingsouls4u:_** How dare you laugh at my characters! LOL! Yeah, it was pretty funny, wasn't it? Thanks for your review!

**_MoonyNZ:_** Wow, brilliant and exciting? Really? Thanks!

**_LupinLover99:_** I'm glad it's up to scratch. :) Thanks for reviewing so faithfully!

**_Lunatik27:_** Wow, you think it's unique? Cool, thanks! I have a beta reader now, that's why updates are a bit slower. I love my beta reader, she really helps to improve my chapters! Yeah, the shower part was hard to write, I have no experience with which to relate to that, LOL. Thanks for reviewing!

**_JTBJAB:_** LOL I'm glad you like it! I hope this update was fast enough. :) Thanks a bunch for reviewing!

Preview of next chapter: _Harry impatiently endured his Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore. The headmaster had promised a surprise at the end of the lesson, and he was dying to know what it was. Fortunately, Dumbledore's tactic of saving it for the completion of the lesson proved to be useful. Harry did an above average job of preventing Dumbledore from raiding his mind. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Dumbledore announced that the lesson was over. He picked up an envelope, and, smiling, gave it to Harry. "Fawkes came in handy today," he said simply._


	7. You're Alive, That's What Matters

A/N: Hey everybody! I finally was able to buy some of the books (3-5) and they also had _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ so I got that too. I'm so happy! Finally I'll be able to look up things and stuff. I've just begun re-reading "Prisoner of Azkaban ."

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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_**You're Alive, That's What Matters**_

Hermione cracked her eyes open. It was now the middle of the night. She must have fallen asleep after lunch. By the way she felt, though, she could tell that Remus had fed her in her sleep. The darkness pressed on her like a prison. Hysteria filled her again. If she could just lift her head… Was that so much to ask? She struggled to move, any move would do; something to relieve her panicking sense of helplessness.

But the only movement Hermione could master was to blink her eyes. She screamed inwardly and mentally beat herself against the walls that kept her in her mind. Tears poured down her face, and she began sniffling, as much as she could manage to sniffle anyway. 'Good grief, I can't even _cry_ properly,''she thought in despair. How would she ever return to a normal life? And what about Remus? Things began to sink in. Sooner or later Remus would be caught, and suffer a life sentence in Azkaban. All because of _her._ He would _die _in a horrible prison because of her. 'Why didn't he leave me in the hospital? What if I don't get much better, what kind of life would that be?' She hated the thought of being coddled for the rest of her life.

"_Lumos,_" she heard Remus say. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and hoped he'd think she was sleeping. Through her eyelids, she could see the light shining on her face.

"Hermione, I know you're awake, there's streaks of tears on your face," whispered Remus gently.

Defeated, Hermione opened her eyes, squinting in the bright light of his wand. Remus pulled her to a sitting position. Wrapping his arm around her, he put her head on his shoulder. "I heard you crying." He picked up his wand, offering to take a memory. "Please tell me what's wrong." He muttered the appropriate spell, but nothing issued forth. Hermione had closed her mind against him.

Remus lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him in the face. "Have I done something wrong? Do you want me to leave?"

Hermione blinked several times, holding back tears. Remus hated the look he saw in her eyes; it was heartbreaking. She looked like she had given up on life. He pulled out his hankerchief and wiped the tears from her face. Hermione did not answer any of his questions, so he just sat there and held her as she cried onto his shoulder.

"Please tell me what's wrong," he repeated after a few minutes, once more placing his wand against her temple. This time, he did receive a memory, two in fact. The first was he, reading the (mostly) false and unfair accusations made against him, and the fact that he had earned himself a lifetime sentence in Azkaban without a trial. The next one was the first memory he had seen (or rather heard), the one about the nurses talking of her "imminent" death.

Remus set the Pensieve down. He had an idea of what was bothering Hermione now, but it was not completely clear. He decided to ask some yes and no questions. "Are you feeling guilty about the results of my decision to remove you from St. Mungo's?"

Hermione reluctantly confirmed his theory, winking her right eye.

"Hermione, no matter what you think, it's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped me even if you wanted to.' Hermione's eyes looked rather stony at that. He looked at her critically for a minute, trying to deduce what he saw there. "I know – your condition must be really frustrating for you, is that part of it?"

Hermione avoided his gaze with her eyes. He concluded that he must be right. He desperately tried to find the right words to say. He thought about his own condition. Like Hermione, there was little chance he would be rid of it. Sometimes he wished he could knock the moon out with one big "_Stupefy!_" and end his monthly cycle. But of course, such wishes were all in vain.

"I don't know if this helps, Hermione, but when I was young, I had a similar struggle," Remus started, his voice pained, "One full moon night I broke out of my pen and had a rather rough night. The next morning – well, I was in pretty bad shape. I thought it was the end, but some unsuspecting Muggles came along and took me to the Muggle hospital. I've hurt many people while I'm in my state, and sometimes I wonder if I should have been left by that roadside."

He sighed. He'd never planned on relating that to anyone else, keeping it locked up inside. But seeing Hermione so helpless and frustrated, he felt compelled to show that he understood her situation to some extent.

Hermione was now looking into his eyes, her expression softening. Remus was doomed, once a month, to lose control of his body _and_ mind, while there still was hope for her to fully gain both. And he did genuinely feel some of the discouragement she was experiencing now.

They both became aware that they were looking intensely into each other's eyes, their faces inches apart. Remus stood abruptly and took his lighted wand away from his face so she wouldn't see his embarrassment. "This certainly isn't going to be easy for you, Hermione," he whispered as he laid her back down. "But you're alive, and that's what matters. I want you to live, and get better. What is going to happen is going to happen, nothing can change that now. Please, don't give up. Don't prove me wrong. Don't make my action a couple days ago to be in vain."

He paused a long moment. "Are you comfortable?" At her affirmation, he whispered, "_Nox_." The light went out, and he settled back onto his mattress on the floor.

* * *

Harry impatiently endured his Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore. The Headmaster had promised a surprise at the end of the lesson, and he was dying to know what it was. Fortunately, Dumbledore's tactic of saving the surprise until after he completed his lesson proved to be useful. Harry did an excellent job of preventing Dumbledore from raiding his mind. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Dumbledore announced that the lesson was over. He picked up an envelope, and, smiling, gave it to Harry. "Fawkes came in handy today," he said simply. 

Harry opened the envelope eagerly and started reading the letter. His spirits soared higher at every line. Remus had done something heroic, not crazy, and Hermione was alive and responding! She was even able to ask about himself and Ron, and their doings at school. He read Remus's request, and instantly decided he would see that it was carried out. Hermione would love it. "Can I show Ron?" demanded Harry.

Dumbledore smiled at Harry's eagerness. "You may, but only show it to him, and bring it straight back. In fact, why don't you leave this with me? Bring Ron here to read it. We can't take any chances that the wrong eyes might get a glimpse of this."

Harry nodded and set off at a run.

'Ah, youth, always doing things in a hurry,' Dumbledore chuckled to himself.

It was barely two minutes before Harry sprinted into the office, Ron in tow. Ron read the letter with an ecstatic grin on his face. "Can we write her back?" he asked.

"Of course, I shall send your letters along tomorrow morning. They're both likely to be sleeping right now," Dumbledore explained.

Harry and Ron started scribbling madly away at their respective letters, looking like they were competing in some sort of race. Several minutes later, they declared themselves finished.

"Wait," said Harry. "What about Remus's request?"

"It shall be seen to," reassured Dumbledore. "I think it's a very good idea."

"Can't we visit them?" pleaded Ron.

"I've thought about that," admitted Dumbledore. "I think it would be too risky to ask him to lift his sealing spells. The Ministry might have found out about his location. Maybe even Voldemort has. There's too much we don't know. I'm sorry, but until I've found out more about the facts and what we can do, there will be no visits." Dumbledore looked at Fawkes. There might be a way to get there, but he wanted to experiment with it first. No use in getting their hopes up.

The boys' spirits dampened a little. All they wanted was to see her. Harry added a postscript to his letter, telling her what Dumbledore had said. He'd also written a short note to Remus.

"I'll let you know when there's a reply," said Dumbledore. "It's curfew, and I feel rather tired myself. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sir," they chorused, and left his office.

Harry burst into the Gryffindor common room, a cheerful grin on his face, momentarily forgetting about being possessed in front of the entire class. As he entered, people began edging away from him, wondering if he would suddenly go insane. They were puzzled by his happy expression, because he'd been gloomy all day. Harry, for his part, took no notice. He just wanted to shout aloud that Hermione was alive. Unfortunately, it had been previously decided that only one more person could be told. He marched over to Ginny.

"Ginny, could you come to my dorm? We have something important to tell you," said Harry. Ron stood beside Harry, looking impatient.

"All right, make it quick, I'm trying to finish my Potions essay," she urged.

When they reached the dorm, Ron and Harry promptly started arguing over who was going to tell Ginny. Finally Ginny told them they could do it both at once.

"Hermione's alive!" they said in unison.

"Really? Why, I have to tell Luna, she's been–!"

"No!" shouted Harry. "No one can know."

"Why?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Because we aren't supposed to know. If they know we know, they'll know that we've been able to communicate with Lupin, and they'd track him down. It must be kept secret," Harry said firmly.

"All right," Ginny agreed reluctantly. "How is she doing? Where is she?"

"Lupin's got her at Grimmauld Place. He's sealed it shut, though, so nobody can get in but Fawkes. Hermione's paralysed, she can't talk, but she's able to open her eyes. Lupin has been communicating with her through a Pensieve."

"So nothing in the paper was true, right?" asked Ginny. She'd doubted it ever since she first laid eyes on the headline.

"There's a bit of truth in it, but it's mostly exaggerated." He started explaining what happened from Remus's point of view, which Ginny found much more believable.

"Oh, and Dumbledore wants to see you first thing in the morning. He sent you this note," said Ron, handing her a folded parchment. "Destroy it after you read it."

Ginny read it, nodded, tore it up, and threw it into the wastebasket. "I'm going to finish my essay now. Goodnight," she said.

Ron turned to Harry as she left. "I thought you should know that everyone has been gossiping about you, it's spreading like wildfire through school about what happened today in class. Everyone thinks you're barking. Has Dumbledore been able to help you?"

"Yes, yes he has. I don't think I'll have another fit for a while. I don't have to worry about Hermione." He was, however, worried about Remus getting caught, but as Lupin wasn't in any immediate danger, it didn't weigh on his mind.

"Don't worry about them, mate. I'm sure it'll die down," Ron assured Harry, thinking about their schoolmates. "Let's go and do our homework, that's what Hermione'd want us to do."

"Let's do it in here," decided Harry. He didn't want to be stared at by the Gryffindors in the common room. For the rest of the evening, Harry coached Ron on DADA. Ron was good at the practical side of it, but not the theory. Harry wished Hermione were there; she was the expert at theory. 'I hope we'll get to visit her soon,' he thought sadly.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers: 

**_BrennaM:_** I'm glad you like the storyline! It came to me rather spontaneously about a month ago and I immediately started writing it. Glad to hear from you:)

**_MoonyNZ:_** Yay, you like it! Yes, that's one of the reasons I think they make a good pair, because they're both intellectuals so they would get along better that way. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**_Angel-Within: _**Wow, glad you're hooked! Thank you!

**_BlackPaintedWhite:_** Hehe...it sounds like you're going quite some lengths to read this...thanks, I'm honored. :)

**_Dancing In Rain:_** Yes, I have no way of relating to that sort of experience, but I imagine it's pretty depressing, hence what I put in this chapter. Indeed, Hermione will make progress in interesting ways, as you will see in chapter ten and beyond. :) Thank you for reviewing!

**_LupinLover99:_** Here's another update, my beta reader was really fast with this one:) Chapter eight might be a bit slow in coming out though because I might end up re-writing the whole chapter. Thank you for your review!

Preview of next chapter: _I don't have one this time because chapter eight is being changed. I'm currently discussing it with Le Grimoire, my beta reader. I figured you'd want this up sooner without a preview than later with one. :)_


	8. Fly Like a Phoenix

Disclaimer: I own nothing. A bit in here is an exerpt from the _Chamber of Secrets_ book and movie. Also, Le Grimoire contributed many helpful ideas, like Phineas and the letters, so they aren't mine either. :)

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_**Fly Like A Phoenix**_

Dumbledore paced in his study, deep in thought. Soon he would try his experiment to see if he could transport himself to Grimmauld Place, despite Remus's sealing spells. But first, he wanted to get some inside information on how they were doing, and what he was to expect.

"Phineas," he said firmly, addressing the portrait of a man who appeared to be dozing. Dumbledore knew better, however. "Phineas, I _know_ you're awake. I need you to run me an errand."

Phineas cracked an eye open reluctantly. "An errand?" he asked haughtily, "What kind of errand?"

"I need you to tell me how things are faring at Grimmauld Place."

Phineas looked quite grouchy at that. "As you wish, Dumbledore," he sighed, and instantly disappeared.

About ten minutes later, Phineas reappeared inside his portrait. "I saw that half-breed —"

"Remus Lupin," interjected Dumbledore.

" — with the girl. Evidentally, he sleeps on a mattress on her floor. I heard him asking what she wanted for breakfast, and he took a memory from her head and placed it in a bowl. A Pensieve, I think. Awhile later he nodded and left the room, coming back a few minutes later with pancakes. Then he used his wand to feed her, and asked her if she was feeling better after last night."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Did you get any indication about what had happened?" he asked. What could have upset Hermione? Did Remus do something?

"Yes, Albus," he drawled. "It seems she'd been bawling about something — I would, too, if I was stuck alone in a house with a werewolf and I were her — and Remus made her feel better. You should have seen the way they were looking at each other, it was sickening."

Dumbledore suppressed a smile at Phineas's look of pure disgust. "Then what happened?"

"I left," said Phineas. "I wasn't going to stick around to see if they were going to snog." He grimaced.

"Thank you, Phineas. I'm going to see if Fawkes will be able to take me there." Dumbledore grasped Fawkes's tail feathers tightly with one hand, holding a bag full of books, clothing, and letters in the other. Any moment now, and he'd know if it would work.

Dumbledore felt a firm tug as Fawkes took flight. The world swirled around them. Calmly, Dumbledore waited, suspended in space. He felt a floor materializing underneath his feet. The world stopped swirling to reveal his successful arrival at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore observed that he was now in a room with Remus and Hermione. "Greetings," he said, eyeing Remus and Hermione curiously.

Remus whipped around, wand drawn, his body in a protective stance.

"Calm down, Remus, I'm quite on your side," said Dumbledore. "I have brought some things for you."

"How did you get here?" Remus asked nervously.

"Fawkes towed me here," explained Dumbledore. "Don't worry, Remus, there's no other way to get here that I know of."

Remus resumed feeding Hermione, his own breakfast forgotten. "What did you bring?"

"Letters from Harry and Ron, some clothes and food, and your surprise." He pulled Hermione's schoolbooks out of his bag. "You're right, just because she's not at school doesn't mean she can't keep up with her fellow students, learning the theories of what they're studying, at least. I'm sure when she gains her mobility and speech, she'll be ready to join them again." He turned to Hermione. "I'm glad to see that you have beat the odds, Hermione. Happy Birthday."

Hermione smiled at him with her eyes. "It's your birthday?" said Remus in surprise. "I didn't know that. Happy Birthday, Hermione!"

"Remus, I must ask you a rather personal question," Dumbledore said, distracting Remus from his birthday wishes to Hermione. "How are you handling her washroom needs?"

Remus looked visibly embarrassed, his cheeks flaming. "Well, I use magic… the _Lustral_ charm, levitation, and—"

"Say no more, Remus, I trust you. I daresay you wouldn't mind having a woman come and do it for you?"

"Yes, that would be appreciated," Remus answered, still feeling rather uncomfortable.

"I could have Ginny do it," Dumbledore mused aloud. "She's the only girl that knows about the situation. I'll have Fawkes tow her over here. Harry and Ron would like to visit, too. Just let me know when it would be convenient."

"I think girls like daily showers, don't they?" surmised Remus. "So probably every day, or almost that, depending on how much time she can take out of her studies. Harry and Ron can come anytime they like." He turned to Hermione. "Let's see what you have to say, Hermione." He retrieved a memory and immersed himself in it.

He was standing in an empty girls' bathroom. Harry was looking into a cracked mirror, putting on his glasses. Ron was hammering on a stall door. 'Even Sirius didn't hang out in girls' bathrooms,' Remus thought, bewildered.

"Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you —"

"Go away!" Hermione squeaked from inside the stall.

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"What's the matter?" said Ron. "You must be back to normal by now, we don't look like Crabbe and Goyle —"

But Moaning Mytle glided suddenly through the stall door, a grin on her face.

"Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's _awful_ —"

The lock slid back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.

"What's up?" said Ron confusedly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"

Hermione let her robes fall. She was covered in black fur. He could see her eyes were yellow from where he stood, and she had pointed ears poking through her hair.

"It was c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations —"

"Uh-oh," said Ron.

"— I don't want _anyone_ to see me like this."

'I never knew they took the Polyjuice potion,' Remus thought as the memory faded away. He stood, looking at Hermione. "I can't make heads or tails of what you mean by that, Hermione," he said in puzzlement. The inferred meaning was that she didn't want visitors, but he felt sure she didn't mean _that_.

"I can perform a bit of Legilimens, if you wish, Hermione," offered Dumbledore.

Hermione winked her right eye. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.

"It means yes. If she winks her left eye, it means no," explained Remus.

"Clever," said Dumbledore. "Very well, Hermione." It only took a second to find out what was wrong. "It is apparent she doesn't want visitors."

"Why?" asked Remus, shifting his gaze repeatedly between Dumbledore and Hermione.

Dumbledore sighed. "Just like in the memory she sent you, she doesn't want anyone to see her in her current condition. She hates it. And seeing them would remind her of her old life, when she – had her full abilities."

"I see," said Remus softly. He turned to Hermione. "Can you at least let Ginny come? I really would prefer that she takes care of showering you and the like."

Hermione's eyes looked conflicted. On one hand, Remus had a point. On the other, she hated the thought of Ginny seeing her in this state.

"Please, Hermione," said Remus. "I know it's difficult for you, but can you do me that favor?"

Hermione recalled his sentence to Azkaban, and her eyes softened. He was the one doing her all the difficult favors and sacrifices; she surely must give him this one. She slowly winked her right eye.

"What about Harry and Ron?" asked Remus.

She hesitated a moment, before winking her left eye, her expression pained.

"Are you sure?" said Remus, surprised.

She winked her right eye, and didn't meet his gaze.

"All right. Send Ginny over here any time, it's not like we're going anywhere," said Remus, smiling at Dumbledore.

"Will do," agreed Dumbledore. "Now I should be going, before somebody misses me." He grabbed Fawkes's tail feathers. 'I better ask Snape to make Wolfsbane Potion,' Dumbledore thought. "Goodbye," he said, and vanished.

"Well," sighed Remus. "Why don't we start on your school books? Would you like me to read them to you, or you read them yourself? You'd probably like to read them yourself, yes?" asked Remus. When she indicated that yes, she would like to read them herself, he sat her up and enchanted her Charms book so that it turned the page every five minutes. He left and began eating his previously abandoned breakfast, wondering what would be in store for them in the near future.

Dumbledore landed in his office and nonchalantly walked down the stairs. He would round up Ginny, Harry, and Ron at lunch so they could have a talk about Hermione. He decided to be up front with what had happened, since truth was always preferable to lies.

Lunchtime arrived soon enough. Harry, Ron, and Ginny stood in front of Dumbledore's desk, eagerly awaiting the news.

"I have seen Remus and Hermione," Dumbledore started slowly. "Fawkes was kind enough to tow me there, for there is no other known way to get there. I must warn you, the news isn't altogether pleasant."

"Did she respond to our letters?" asked Harry.

"Not yet, I didn't give her enough time. She misses you all very much. However, when asked if she wanted you three to visit, well... she didn't want you to come."

"WHY NOT?" bellowed Ron, outraged. "We're dying to see her!"

"She shares that sentiment, Mister Weasley, however, bear in mind that this isn't the same Hermione that existed before she received the killing curse. She doesn't wish anyone to see her in her current state. However, she has consented to Ginny coming, if Ginny is willing to volunteer to help her with showering and such. Remus is rightfully uncomfortable to help her with such duties."

"I'll do it," consented Ginny. "Sorry," she added, noting Harry and Ron's crestfallen looks.

"What is she afraid of? She knows we wouldn't be so low as to make fun of her. We're her _best friends_, why can't we see her?" demanded Harry in deep frustration.

"Your frustration is understandable, Harry," replied Dumbledore. "At present, I believe it is best to yield to her wishes. I'm sorry. Now, I'll send Ginny over there, and then you all can go back to lunch."

Ginny grabbed Fawkes's tail feathers and disappeared immediately. Harry felt himself well up with confusion and hurt. Remus, Dumbledore, and Ginny got to see her. Why not himself – her best friend?

Ginny landed gracefully at the top of the stairs in Grimmauld Place. She felt quite nervous. She didn't want to end up upsetting Hermione. 'This is going to be uncomfortable,' she thought. 'Well, I'm not going to get anything done just standing here.' She marched into Hermione's room. She saw her sitting up in bed, reading. For a moment, it was almost like they were back at Hogwarts. Often Ginny would see Hermione reading in this way. Then she noticed how very still Hermione sat. The only things that moved were her eyes. "Hello Hermione," she said. "I'm here to help you."

Hermione merely looked her way and winked her right eye. Ginny froze a moment, puzzled, but decided to get down to business. "I'm going to give you a shower. I'll levitate you into the bathroom." She took the book off Hermione's lap and took her to the bathroom. "You know, I'm really glad to see you, Hermione, after what happened. I've really missed you over these past few days. Harry and Ron have been going crazy! Harry literally. Did he tell you about how Voldemort possessed him again? Don't worry about it, though, Dumbledore has it under control." She continued talking about this and that, not ever expecting any sort of answer. Hermione gradually got over her shame, but resentment still brewed under the surface. How she _despised_ being little Miss Disabled, who couldn't do anything herself.

Ginny stood straight up, when something on the floor caught her eye. Little pieces of sponge were weakly scrubbing the floor. "That explains why it's so shiny in here," she thought, amused. One by one, she picked up the pieces and got them to stop scrubbing. After throwing the destroyed sponge in the wastebasket, she returned Hermione to her room, for her shower was done.

Ginny glimpsed Harry and Ron's letters on the table. "Have you read Harry and Ron's letters yet?"

Hermione winked her left eye.

"That means no, right?" After Ginny saw her wink the other eye, she decided she must be right. "Here, I can read them to you." She picked up Harry's and began:

"Dear Hermione, I've really been missing you! I'm so ecstatic to hear that you're alive! Nobody told me that you were, and the _Daily Prophet_ made out that you were dead. I can't wait to see you! Ron and I could sure use your help on all our homework; it's massive this year. I'm sure you'll get better soon, Hermione. We need you here!" Ginny paused a second, frowning. It had appeared that Harry had written something (she could swear that it was "Voldemort") and then crossed it out. "Your friend, Harry. P.S. Dumbledore just told us he isn't sure that there's a way to get to Grimmauld Place. I hope he works something out soon, I need to see you." Ginny picked the other letter off of the table. "Okay, Hermione, this is Ron's letter: Hi Hermione! I can't tell you how excited I am that you're alive! We've both been really depressed until we heard that, we thought you were dead. Especially Harry. You should have seen him the other day when Voldemort possessed him in Divination class. It was an experience I won't forget in a hurry —"

Hermione's eyes widened in horror. Harry was being possessed by Voldemort again. Was it because of her? 'I feel like such a failure,' Hermione thought, her heart sinking. 'I'm not there to help him.' She felt a surge of frustration. 'I'm not any help to anyone anymore.'

"— Anyway, Dumbledore's been taking care of that. I sure could use your help in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Snape is torture! When we have theory tests he uses any excuse to flunk me. Get better soon, Hermione! It's tough trying to help Harry without you around. I hope we can visit you. Your friend, Ron."

Ginny ended the visit on friendly terms, and Fawkes flew her back to Dumbledore's office. Harry and Ron asked her how it went, and Ginny gave them the proper details.

* * *

Hermione settled deep into her book, lost in another world. In that world, she was herself again. She was Hermione Granger, model student, active supporter of Harry Potter. She flew to the place where she could walk, talk, practice spells, and do things for herself. In that world, she wasn't trapped; she was free, free as a Phoenix. She read all afternoon, appreciating the hobby now more than ever. It helped her to forget her current situation, and Remus's inevitable capture, which weighed on her mind more and more as time passed. She closed her eyes. It was now dinnertime. She wanted more than ever to keep reading, but her eyes were exhausted. Remus would have to read to her, if she wanted any more.

Soon enough, Remus showed up in her room, carrying dinner. After a brief meal, he asked her what she would like to do now. Through the Pensieve, he saw her father reading to her as a child. Understanding what she meant, he decided to take her to the living room couch for a change of scenery while he read to her.

He sat her up next to him, laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling. Then he began to read out loud, while Hermione closed her eyes and listened. Remus was tired himself. Without the Wolfsbane potion, he felt a bit ill. Determinedly he tried to stay awake, but lost the fight in mid-sentence. His eyes closed and his head rolled on top of Hermione's. Hermione had no way of waking him back up. Soon enough, she too, fell asleep.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:

**_MoonyNZ:_** You guessed right. Thank you for reviewing!

**_Radingsouls4u:_** LOL! Yes, the winking does seem funny in writing. Thanks for reviewing so much, I really appreciate that!

**_Morena-Forever:_** Yes, I love the sweet, always-there-for-you relationship stories. I know, I'm such a sap! You wouldn't know that if you met me in real life, though, LOL. Thanks for reviewing!

**_FirePony's Chick:_** Hello, great to hear from you! Thanks!

**_LupinLover99:_** Thanks for reviewing. :) Updates are always great!

**_Silver Ash:_** Well, to be honest, after chapter four, all good grammar and spelling credit goes to Le Grimoire, my beta reader. :) She's fantastic, I'm beginning to wonder how I ever managed to write my stories without her. Yes, descriptions are things I need to work on. I'm glad you think I'm good at capturing the characters, that's important to me! You know, that's funny, I had the same thought about Remus's past! It might come in a later chapter, which I haven't written yet. (After chapter fifteen) In each one I write, I like to stress a different angle, so I might do more of that in a future Remus/Hermione fanfiction. Yeah, I was just letting people know why I wasn't updating twice a day like I did with my previous two. Thanks for being patient. :)

**_Dancing in Rain:_** Yeah, fanfictionNet can be a pain sometimes. Thank you so much for reviewing, it's always appreciated!

Preview of next chapter: _Michael Judge blinked drowsily in his Azkaban cell. Anytime now, he was sure of it. Anytime now, Voldemort would come and set him free. Free to continue carrying out Voldemort's devices. After all, he was now Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater. He would not abandon him._


	9. Judgement Runs Astray

A/N: Hey guys, I got my first big flame, and I'm a bit upset...do any of you guys think I overstepped anywhere? I was worried from the beginning that some people might see this as a political story (which it isn't meant to be!). I know that anything like that should be kept off fanfiction entirely. I just thought it was a neat idea. Anyway, it kinda came at a bad time, I was already upset today about leaving a place forever that had seemed like a second home and saying goodbye to the people there, so I guess that's why I might be overreacting.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Judgement Runs Astray

Hermione gradually awoke, wondering why she felt so relaxed and pleasant. She slowly grew aware that she was sitting up, on a couch by the feel of it. Cracking her eyes open, she could see Remus's lap. 'We've been like this all night,' she realized. 'Poor Remus, he's probably exhausted with the full moon coming up. I wish I could wake him up, though. My neck hurts.' Hermione concentrated with all her might to move, if only an inch. She was able to twitch, and from that she could feel Remus's head resting on hers. A slow blush creeped over her features as she realized how close they were. 'Remus, wake up, this is getting uncomfortable,' she pleaded. Of course, Remus couldn't hear her, and stayed soundly asleep.

The minutes crept on and felt more like hours. For awhile, Hermione cursed her condition, but it got old after awhile. She amused herself by looking around the room, and counting the colors she saw. That got boring too, and she pounded against her inner walls in frustration. Then she tried to relax and get more sleep. Remus was not moving.

Remus. She glanced up as far as she could, but she could not see him. Despite her neck pain, she had to admit to herself she liked just spending time with him. Quiet, just like this. It was soothing somehow.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs. Ginny entered Hermione's line of sight. She noted the open book on Remus's lap and deduced what happened. "Do you want me to wake him up?" she whispered.

Hermione winked her right eye. Ginny gently shook Remus awake. "Huh? What?" she heard Remus mutter. He opened his eyes. "Oh. Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to fall asleep like that." He lifted her head from his shoulder, and she winced. "Does your neck hurt?" he asked. Hermione indicated yes. "I'm sorry, I won't let this happen again." He frowned for a moment. Hermione almost looked disappointed. 'I must be mistaken,' he decided. 'She could not have liked being stuck down here with me all night.'

"It's shower time," annouced Ginny. "Let's go." She levitated Hermione up the stairs, leaving Remus on the couch, rubbing his neck. His neck hurt too, after being cramped in that odd position all night. Still, he never remembered feeling so refreshed after a sleep, especially this close to a full moon. He tried to squelch the thought that he had liked spending time with Hermione. He could not afford to like her. He was destined for Azkaban. 'She's just like my daughter,' he told himself. 'She's like a daughter to me. Nothing more.'

Fawkes, who had been flying around the room, disappeared abruptly. A few moments later he materialized with Dumbledore. "I have something to discuss with you," the old wizard said. "Severus refused to make more Wolfsbane potion. He said he didn't wish to become - _involved_. Most unfortunate. I'm sorry, Remus. I know how much the potion means to you."

Remus looked crestfallen. How in the world would he get by without the potion, with Hermione in the house and everything? This would be great risk for her. And what about himself? What if he got so injured that he was not able to take care of her? The thought of her being in someone else's charge displeased him more than he thought it should.

"When full moon comes, I'm going to barricade you in the basement, and I'll send Fawkes over here to watch over Hermione for you. I'm sure things will be all right, Remus. Fawkes has more abilities than he's given credit for."

"Thank you, Albus," said Remus. "I couldn't get on without you."

"Also, I would like to warn you. They have an official search for you now. Hermione's parents wanted the muggle police looking out for you, too, but I was able to prevent that by pointing out there's a lot of things here we wouldn't be able to explain to them. They wouldn't be much use. Fortunately, they accepted that excuse." He paused. "Hermione's parents are now suing you for kidnapping her and causing them severe stress. They've also turned your "resisting arrest" charge into a more serious charge, especially since you haven't showed up at the Ministry of Magic."

"What can we do, Dumbledore?" asked Remus. "Is there any way I can get a fair trial?"

"Not with the way things are now, I'm afraid. They still believe that Hermione is almost or offically dead. We can't prove them wrong, or they'll know we've had contact with you, and things would get worse. Hermione needs to stay with you, whatever happens." Dumbledore's voice lowered to a whisper. "I daresay neither of you would mind that?" His eyes twinkled, and he grabbed Fawkes's tail feathers.

In an instant he was back in his own office, leaving Remus staring at the empty space, wondering what Dumbledore was implying with his parting statement.

Harry and Ron were waiting for him. Dumbledore sent Fawkes back to pick up Ginny when she was ready before turning to them.

"How is she?" asked Harry, an angry edge to his voice. He still could not believe he was not allowed to see her. What had happened to the Hermione he had known and loved? 'She's just so stubbornly independent,' he thought. In the back of his mind, the a plan formed. All he needed to do was get a chance to carry it out.

"She's the same. Remus seems to be a bit weaker now that he's been denied the Wolfsbane potion."

"Why don't you force Snape to make it?" asked Ron. "It could only do them good."

"In this case, we must respect _Professor_ Snape's wishes. After all, a couple of Remus's charges had some truth to them, even if he was right in doing it. He does not wish to risk himself getting in trouble for helping a criminal, and I will not force him to assume that risk." Dumbledore sighed wearily. He really wished Severus would give up his grudge against the Mauraders and their family and friends. "It's time for you to get back to your classes."

Harry and Ron left Dumbledore's office and obediently returned to their classes.

* * *

Michael Judge blinked drearily in his Azkaban prison cell. Anytime now, he was sure of it. Anytime now, Voldemort would come and set him free. Free to continue carrying out Voldemort's devices. After all, he was now Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater. He would not abandon him. 

Sure enough, Voldemort appeared in his cell within a few minutes, holding his wand, as well as his own. Worldlessly Voldemort handed him his wand, and they both apparated to Riddle Manor. The evil pair trooped upstairs to where Nagini was kept.

"My Lord," said Michael. "What is your next move?"

"We take over," Voldemort hissed. "Follow my instructions, and they won't know what hit them. We'll strike where they're weakest. It is about time we take advantage of their love for others. Potter and their ridiculous Order will suffer greatly for this, as will the entire Ministry of Magic." He briefly outlined his plan. "I know you can find the resources to get this done, Michael. You are my greatest servant."

"You are too kind, My Lord."

"Save your fakery for the Ministry, Michael," spat Voldemort. "Do a good job here, and we'll see about your immortality."

"My Lord is generous!"

"What did I _just_ say?" said Voldemort in a dangerous voice.

"Of course, My Lord. It was foolish of me," said Michael.

"It's time to finish what you so brilliantly started. Everything is ready. Out, Michael, and I don't want you back until we have at least one more death and imprisonment accomplished." His eyes glinted. "You know who I mean."

"As you wish, My Lord. This will be quite enjoyable to outfox them at their own game. I will be glad to deal out my revenge in your name." Michael disappeared with an ominous _crack_.

Voldemort stroked Nagini absently. Did they think Voldemort was not powerful anymore, no longer to be feared? They would soon learn their lesson. Too late.

* * *

Harry sat in DADA, feeling glum. Snape was teaching, and Hermione did not want him to visit. He was getting worried glances from the other students occasionally, wondering if he was going to have another crazy fit. Voldemort was still on the loose, intent on killing him. And if he did not do something soon, he would start failing some of his classes. How much worse could it get? All his worries weighed heavily upon him. If only Hermione was here. She would be able to help solve most of his problems. 

But she was not here, and wishing was that she was was not going to make her materialize next to him. He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice that he was being addressed by Snape.

"Daydreaming _again_, Potter?" he snapped. "Class is not the time to be dreaming about your _dead_ friends, even though you have so many _dead_ friends, you'll lose count, won't you, Potter?"

Harry glared at Snape. Snape smirked and continued on with his class. "Today, we are studying vampires. Who can tell me something about vampires?"

"They like to suck — " Suddenly, Harry was seized with an insane desire to laugh. His scar sizzled, and he realized that somewhere, Voldemort was very happy about something. Harry's face turned red from the exertion of trying to hold back his laughter. "Blood." Then he exploded with laughter.

Ron stared at Harry. 'Oh, no, not this again,' he thought desperately. He kicked Harry, trying to help shake Voldemort off.

"I don't see what you find so amusing, Potter," said Snape, his eyebrows raised. Then it dawned on him what must be happening. "I knew coaching you was useless from day one. You are so ruthless and disobedient, just like your father."

It was like Harry had not heard him. He howled with giddy laughter. It was very hard to fight, because in a way, it felt so _good_ to laugh this hard, something he did not do much these days. At the same time, he fought hard to squelch it, because everyone was looking at him like he was bonkers.

Even though Snape hated Harry, he _loathed_ Voldemort. Reluctantly, he decided to intervene. Any interference of Voldemort's needed to be supressed. Snape muttered a spell that would make it easier for Harry to push Voldemort out of his mind. Instantly the laughing ceased. "Now we can continue, since our rude interruption is over," declared Snape icily.

Harry sat stock still, catching his breath and ignoring the stares. Voldemort was planning something. Something big, something never done before. Something that made him very happy. This only added to Harry's worries. What could he be up to now?

'I've just got to see Hermione,' he decided. 'I don't care. She has nothing to be ashamed of. Surviving the killing curse is an amazing feat.' He stared out the DADA door, his plan taking more definite shape. It might be awhile, but he would watch carefully and patiently for his chance. It certainly would be hard to get past Dumbledore, but it would be worth it. Hermione would give him the advice he needed. Who knows, she might even be able to help him with his Potions grade.

He glanced over at Ron, wondering if he should let him in on his plan. 'No,' he decided. 'It'll be hard enough to get myself past Dumbledore; with both of us, it'd be impossible. Besides, when she sees me, she just might change her mind about visitors, and Ron would get to see her too. I need to see her more than Ron, he doesn't have an insane murderous wizard breathing down his neck every day,' He felt a little bad about keeping the secret, though. He certainly hoped Ron wouldn't mind very much. 'It'll be okay, he'll get over it,' Harry told himself. 'Eventually.'

* * *

Replies to Reviewers: 

**_MoonyNZ:_** I love how you're always so quick to review, thanks! It was nice and long too. :) Oh yes, we haven't seen the last of Michael Judge. (ominous music)

**_SpikesDreamer:_** Thanks so much, it means a lot to me! Yes, I love all the little things, I think that's partly what love is about, the nice day to day, thoughtful things. Glad to hear from you!

**_Radingsouls4u:_** Thanks, I'm glad you think I convey it well, especially since I really don't know much about this sort of thing, so I just imagine and guess. :) Yeah, I thought it would be cute to write that, and move along the romantic tension between them. Well, something huge is going to happen in the next chapter, you'll see.

**_JTBJAB:_** Hmmmm, Remus. Well, last we saw him, he was eating breakfast. Then he sat down on the couch downstairs, and, since Hermione was quite occupied with her books, he ended up sleeping through lunch, poor fellow. So, that's where he was. :) I'm so excited you love it! Reviews like this keep me writing and help me ignore reviews like that one flamer.

**_BlackPaintedWhite:_** That's good that no more chapters are blocked. :) I'm glad you liked that part with Hermione, I was a bit unsure about it, very glad you think it's in character. That's my biggest goal, is to keep things in character. Hey, that's completely fine, any review is totally fabulous! Except if it's like the onethe flamersent me, that makes me upset, of course. Thanks for reviewing!

**_Morena-Forever:_** Butterflies are fun! Yeah, I hide that part of myself in real life, I got teased really bad about it when I was younger so now I keep it tightly under wraps. I don't think (being teased) that sort of thing is funny at all. Anyway, thanks a million for reviewing!

**_LupinLover99:_** Thank you so much! Yes, they are cute! Always glad to hear from you.

**_Rebecca:_** There's no excuse to flame me when I've been quite open to considerate constructive criticism all along. I believe that I havetaken enough steps to leavemy own stance on that issueproperly ambiguous, don't jump to conclusions.Well, can't exactly say thanks, but, it was interesting to hear from you anyway. It makes me appreciate my positive reviews all the more.

Preview of next chapter: _Meanwhile, Harry was standing outside of Dumbledore's office, his Invisibility Cloak on. Now was his chance. He burst into the Headmaster's office and whipped the cloak off, stuffing it into a bag under Dumbledore's desk. He eagerly turned to Fawkes, his hands shaking in excitement. He grabbed the Phoenix's tail feathers and whispered, "Number 12, Grimmauld Place."_


	10. Rush of Hope

A/N: You guys are really sweet! Thanks, I do feel a lot better now. I probably overreacted, I guess I can get pretty sensitive sometimes. I'm going to drop the matter entirely. After reading your reviews, I decided I needed a policy about flames. So, if I ever get another flame, it will be ignored completely. There's no excuse to be mean when I'm quite willing to listen to considerate constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Rush of Hope**_

Three weeks passed with no great change in Hermione's condition. The most she could do was to wriggle around a bit and shift positions slightly, though she was gaining more control of her face. But her improvements stopped there and refused to progress. This made for a very moody Hermione Granger. She swung from rage to depression to general frustration at any given moment. Remus found her a bit difficult to live with, but supported her the best he could. He found himself growing more and more attached to her, something he fought, but he just couldn't hold back.

Hermione, for her part, found her condition easiest to endure when he was around, reading to her or just sitting by her, talking about this and that. She was touched by his patience and how hard he was trying to help. Her feelings for him grew slowly. At times, he would ask her why her face was turning red, but she closed her mind against him, and he soon gave up asking.

That day was one of her bad days. Remus was feeling a bit cranky himself. The full moon was coming soon, and it drained him, leaving him with less patience than usual. He entered Hermione's room, feeling a bit disgruntled. Being shut up in this house was getting to him. He was beginning to understand how Sirius felt, being falsely accused and trapped in the Black house. Remus wondered if he was headed for the same fate as Sirius; a quick death sounded a bit more appealing than the long, slow torture of his mind deteriorating in Azkaban until he was practically dead, anyway. Thoughts like these certainly didn't help Remus's mood to brighten.

Hermione lay there on the bed, glaring at the ceiling. She saw a lot of the ceiling, and knew every cracked feature. She wished she could see more of the room. Clearly, she couldn't get anything she wanted these days. Ever. Bitterness filled her. How she hated this. Today, she just felt like hating everything. Her independent nature couldn't take her infirmity anymore.

"What would you like for dinner?" asked Remus. Dumbledore had been sending him things from the Hogwarts kitchen, so they had plenty of choices. He tried to extract a memory from her, but to his irritation, nothing came. "Surely you must be hungry, Hermione." Still, she closed her mind against him. Her eyes hardened.

"Hermione, is something wrong?" he asked, his anger mounting. Nothing. "Is there anything I can do that I haven't done?" His anger surfaced. He recalled the Ministry's most recent trumped up charge against him. "Is becoming a Death Eater in the Ministry's eyes not enough for you? How about being destined for a life in Azkaban? Maybe you have no idea what it's like to have a dementor suck away at your soul, but I do. That day on the train was nothing, Hermione. It's the worst thing you can imagine!"

He grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her a little. "How about being stuck in this house? I'm not here for fun, you know. Do you know what it's like to be reminded of Sirius all the time? To dread the full moon without Wolfsbane?" He saw fear in Hermione's eyes, and snapped back to his senses. He let go of her and stepped back. "I'm _so_ sorry Hermione," he whispered. "I lost control, I should not have let that happen. It was most disgusting of me… Full moon is soon, but that's no excuse…" he paused and smiled wearily. "Now, I'm going to go and get some dinner. I'll come up with some for you." He left the room, feeling ashamed. The last thing he should do was scare her when she was in that state, so helpless and fragile.

That night, Remus slept on Hermione's floor as usual, after apologizing several more times about getting angry. Hermione's mood had turned to rather sad and thoughtful that evening. She felt awful. She really needed to stop feeling sorry for herself and think more about Remus. 'A bit hard to do when you have so much to be sorry about,' she thought glumly.

Meanwhile, Harry was standing outside of Dumbledore's office, his Invisibility Cloak draped over him. He stared intently at the Marauder's Map, observing Dumbledore as he headed towards Hagrid's. The way was clear. Now was his chance! He burst into the Headmaster's office and whipped the cloak off, stuffing it into a bag under Dumbledore's desk.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" drawled Phineas Nigellus, lounging in the throne-like chair of Armando Dippet's portrait. Armando was a few portraits over, speaking quietly with Dilys Derwent.

"I'm going to see Hermione," said Harry determinedly, figuring that there was no harm in telling him, as Phineas couldn't stop him and Dumbledore was sure to find out eventually.

"Teenagers. Always controlled by their raging hormones," Phineas grumbled. "And you're no exception, Potter. I thought you'd tear this room apart— "

Harry ignored him and eagerly turned to Fawkes, his hands shaking in excitement.

" —last year. You were screaming like a banshee, as well. I couldn't hear anything properly for weeks! …Are you _listening _to me, boy?"

Harry quickly grabbed the Phoenix's tail feathers, whispered, "Number 12, Grimmauld Place, please," and disappeared from the office.

Harry landed in a dark room. Fawkes flew out the door, leaving him in the quiet space. Harry watched the Phoenix go for a moment, before trying to see what was in the room. In the corner, he could see the outline of a bed, and by the lump, someone was sleeping in it. 'It's a bit early to be sleeping,' he thought, tiptoeing over to the bedside. He slowly eased one foot in front of the other, trying not to creak any floorboards. When he was certain it was Hermione on the bed (he noticed her bushy hair), he stopped sneaking and strode up to her.

Out of the blue, he tripped over something. He yelped and he landed with a crash on top of Hermione. Before he could make another move, he felt someone grab him from behind. Harry was punched hard in the jaw and flung across the room. He opened his mouth, but was promptly tackled to the ground by the stranger. "Wait, wait, it's me. Harry," Harry gasped, assuming his attacker was Lupin.

"Harry? _Lumos_," said Remus. "Sorry, I thought you were an intruder coming to kidnap Hermione. Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," said Harry. He stood up awkwardly. "I'm glad I'm not your enemy, Lupin. You can punch really hard." He rubbed his jaw, wincing painfully as he approached Hermione. He heard Remus whisper something and suddenly the room was alight.

"Hermione!" Harry said, grabbing her hand. "I'm so glad to see you!"

A strange expression crossed Hermione's face. The instant Harry touched her she had felt a shot of pain, like crackling fire. She could feel magic all around her. Her whole body began shaking, and Hermione closed her eyes in concentration, trying to fight back sobs of pain. Heat seared down her spine and through her body. It felt as though her dead limbs were being magically resurrected.

"Is something wrong?" asked Remus and Harry, almost in unison.

Hermione weakly returned Harry's grasp. She could feel life stretching up her arm, her neck, her head, and slowly through the rest of her body. It was painful, yet uplifting all the same. "No," she gasped awkwardly.

"What?" said Remus excitedly.

"Ree-mus, I cain tock," she choked out. She'd been silent for nearly a month. She almost had forgotten how to speak.

"Sorry?" said Harry confusedly.

"I wash sayeen I cain tock," Hermione managed, a bit clearer. "I cain tock!"

"What happened? Why do you think this is happening?" asked Remus. He was thrilled for her, but he didn't like the delighted way she was looking at Harry. It made him feel jealous. 'It's not romantic,' he tried to persuade himself. 'I merely wish I would get that kind of appreciation from her.'

"It's Hair-ee," she gasped. "I shood have known! His bud resists the Killing Curse. That's what's happenin'." She sat up slowly, gritting her teeth hard and fighting all the hurt away. The process was agonizingly painful, but she would suffer anything to move.

"My blood?" said Harry, beginning to catch on.

"Yesh!" She paused for a moment. Harry was still bleeding slightly from being beaten up. A bit trickled down his jaw and landed on her arm. She felt another surge of stength. "Yes," she said quite clearly, her voice back. "Evidentally, it's transferrable to me. Let go for a second, I want to see if it's permanent or not."

He let go. Hermione could feel herself gradually being drained of her strength, and grew more limp by the second. The pain left, too. She fell backwards, and Harry caught her. "Thunks. Thanks." She was quiet for a moment, thinking, ignoring the returning fiery streams of pain. "I wonder what would happen if we tried a blood transfusion?"

"Harry, are you up to that?" inquired Remus eagerly.

"Sure," said Harry, frowning. "But what if Hermione and I don't have the same blood types?" He was no genius in the medical field, but on the Muggle news he had heard about blood donations and the different blood types, and the dangers of transfusing someone with the wrong blood type.

"It doesn't matter if you're a witch or wizard," explained Hermione. "Our magic neutralizes it."

Remus fetched a bowl and magically transmitted some of Harry's blood into it, before magicking it into Hermione's bloodstream. Harry let go of her experimentally.

Hermione could feel her insides sizzling with the battle going on there. She blinked several times, trying to concentrate on Harry and Remus instead of her buzzing insides. The pain was horrendous. She felt like her veins held boiling water instead of blood.

"How are you feeling?" asked Remus, concerned. Although he could tell she was trying to hide it, she looked like she was in severe pain.

"Like the summer festival fireworks are being hosted in my body," said Hermione truthfully, though she did not want them to know how much pain she was in. There was not anything they could do about it, anyway. She felt a surge of happiness. She could now move on her own! "But I'm not complaining!" Her face lit up with excitement. "I must admit, Harry, I was angry at first to see you here, when I had told you not to. But I'm so glad you're here now, I've really missed you!" She hugged him, sniffling a little.

Harry hugged her back briefly, and let her go. "You need to come back to Hogwarts, Hermione, we need you there!" he said urgently.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but Professor Dumbledore would get into trouble, and," she paused, "I can't abandon Remus." She turned to Remus with a shy smile. It was strange to finally be able to interact with him properly. Now that she could finally talk to him, she hardly knew what to say. They gazed at each other for a long moment, both aware of the strong connection between them. Hermione smiled at him, and he smiled back.

'So nice to see her smile again,' Remus thought to himself. 'I haven't seen her smile — well, since summer!' He felt a rush of pride. He had proven the experts wrong. Hermione was not only alive, but it looked very possible, now, that she might fully recover.

"Thank you, Remus," Hermione finally said, blinking back tears. Between the pain and the overwhelming gratefulness she felt, she could not help but cry. "Thanks for rescuing me."

He reached out and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Now, Hermione, don't cry. You've done enough crying this past month, I think, and I'd rather see you smile."

"I'm crying because I'm happy," she said, glancing between the two men. "You're the best." Taking a deep breath, she struggled to her feet. Her feet screamed as they were forced to support her weight. Remus held on to her, concerned that she would fall. Her body shook visibly as she managed to stand straight. 'Now that I can stand, I don't really have any place to go,' she thought ironically. 'But I want to go _somewhere._' "Let's go to the kitchen," she suggested.

"Are you sure you can make it that far?" asked Remus.

Hermione felt a flash of anger, but as she was tottering back and forth, trying not to fall, and felt ready to faint from the pain, she realized he had a point. "I want to," she said stubbornly.

"Harry and I will hang on to you," Remus insisted. Hermione did not object. As she tried to lift her foot up to begin walking, it felt heavy, like a chunk of wood. Her foot felt like it was stuck in deep, congealed mud. But Hermione was not to be deterred. She struggled along in slow, jolting steps.

The trio squeezed their way down the stairs, which were especially difficult for Hermione, and through the kitchen door. Gritting her teeth, she shakily broke apart from them and ambled to the sink, her pain slowly receding. As she filled a cup of water for herself, she felt a surge of satisfaction. At last, she could do something for herself!

She shuffled over to the table, the contents of her glass spilling everywhere as she went, but she ignored this and sat down, exhausted. She drank the remainder of the glass.

Suddenly Fawkes appeared, a furious Dumbledore towed behind him. His expression was one of anger, but it quickly shifted to amazement as he saw Hermione drinking her glass of water. The water was the first thing that she had drunk normally in a month. "Greetings," he said, dumbfounded. Everyone, including Hermione, to his pleasure, greeted him back. "Now, I would like to know what brought this great fortune," he continued, gesturing to Hermione.

"It's my blood," explained Harry. "It temporarily expels the effects of the Killing Curse."

"Curious," said Dumbledore. "I wonder why it never occurred to me. Quite logical, that." He sat down beside Hermione, turning things over in his mind. After a few minutes of deep thought, he asked, "So, how exactly did you administer it to her?"

"By blood transfusion," Hermione answered. Her insides were crackling in earnest now, in a more pleasant way than before, and she felt a bit stronger.

Dumbledore was silent for another minute, and then he spoke again. "It's odd that you didn't wake up in the hospital," he mused, "when Harry touched you."

"Do you have any idea why?" asked Harry.

"I have a theory," said Dumbledore. "I think, when Michael Judge used the Killing Curse on Hermione, he didn't have _quite_ enough magic to get it done. He was distracted. Normally, when the Killing Curse is used, it first knocks the life from the body, and then separates the soul from it, so quickly it seems to happen all at once. He was able to push the life from her body, but was unable to completely sever her soul from it. It hung in a limbo-like state, struggling between the world of life and death. Obviously, her soul won the struggle to stay in this world. Life was attempting to reenter her body as well, but the Killing Curse was so strong, it was blocked it from entering. Harry was unable to help her before because when a soul leaves a body, even partially, no force of magic can bring it back, unless the soul itself manages to struggle its way back on its own." He paused. "Am I right to assume the blood transfusion will become a regular procedure? Of course, we can't have it occur too often, as it would take too much strength out of Harry."

"I'll do it as much as often as Hermione needs," Harry insisted.

"Harry, it has nothing to do with personal weakness on your part. Anyone would grow faint if too much blood was taken from him or her," Remus supplied.

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "You should continue, but be careful, and only undergo the process when Hermione is in need of it."

Harry nodded. He turned to Hermione. "Can Ron come and visit now?"

"Yes," said Hermione easily. She felt less embarrassed about her condition now that there was a remedy.

"Great! I'll let him know," said Harry.

"Professor," said Hermione quietly. "Do you think I'll ever be able to function normally without Harry's blood?"

Dumbledore looked at her keenly, an odd sort of smile on his face. She swore she saw him glance at Remus. It was so quick, though, she might have been mistaken. "I think, with the help and support of your close friends, and your own determination, your own magical immune system will begin to rally itself and bring life permanently back to you." He stood. "Let's go, Harry, before curfew arrives."

First Harry, then Dumbledore disappeared via a brightly colored phoenix.

Hermione twisted in her seat to scrutinize Remus. "Why did you do it?" she immediately asked. "What made you rescue me?" It had been something she'd been dying to ask for weeks. She gazed at him in grateful admiration.

For some reason, Remus's face reddened. The way she was gazing at him made his insides turn to mush. "I didn't think it was right to let you die. I wanted to give you a chance. I felt there was hope for you, because Harry was able to live normally after he should have died. And besides," he said, his voice lowering, "I couldn't bear to lose someone else that I — hold dear to my heart." He reached to her and touched her cheek briefly. He felt locked in her stare.

Hermione peered at Remus, who was looking at her strangely. His words had touched her. "That's really sweet, Remus. I don't really have a way to thank you properly." He still had that intense look in his eyes. She remained still in anticipation of what was going to happen next.

Remus had an overwhelming desire to kiss her; she almost seemed to be inviting him to. 'I'll just kiss her on the cheek,' he reasoned desperately. 'I can't fairly ask her to love me, when it's only a matter of time before I'll be sent off to Azkaban,' he thought.

Remus leaned close, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat. He brushed his lips against her cheek. "It's about time we got back to bed, Hermione," he said.

She stood, and Remus put an arm around her waist, helping her journey back upstairs. As he settled down on his mattress, he chuckled. "Hopefully there will be no more intruders tonight, I need to get some sleep. Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Remus," he heard.

Soon, they were both asleep.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:(question mark):  Ooooo, mysterious question mark person! Hehe, thanks. I was quite tempted to call her that, but I feel like I need to be professional...thanks for saying it for me, LOL! 

**_MoonyNZ:_** Yes, I enjoyed writing that part with Remus and Hermione. I modeled Michael Judge after Bellatrix Lestrange, although, I certainly hope she doesn't do in books six and seven what I'm going to have Michael do. That would sure make everything go haywire! Thanks for letting me know what you thought, I was relieved. Thank you for your great review!

**_Radingsouls4u:_** (ominous music) We won't know the full details of what Judge is up to until near the end, around chapter 20, I think. But we will find out a bit here and there until then. :) Thank you, as always, for reviewing!

**_Dancing in Rain:_** Yay, thanks! That's exactly what I had in mind. Where it came from is irrelevent. Thank you for reviewing!

**_SpikesDreamer:_** Yeah, you're right, no one cares about it, thanks. :) After reading your review, I can see how totally stupid the flame was...even if it was true, and this was all about Terri, it's really stupid not to write about what you truly believe in. I mean, that's what all writers do, for goodness sake, how can she expect anyone not to? Thanks for reviewing "Memory Split" by the way. :)

**_JTBJAB:_** Thanks so much for your nice, long review. I totally agree with you. After I wrote "Many Cups of Sugar Get You to the Moon," I made a policy of not writing a story that I thought would get a lot of reviews, it had to be something that amused me and that I enjoyed writing without the feedback. At the same time, though, I love to interact with you all, reading your suggestions and constructive criticisms, heeding them when I can. :) That keeps me writing when I know people want me to, otherwise I'd drop it, I do have other hobbies to keep me busy. Thanks again.

**_Morena-Forever:_** Yes, Hermione will try, anyway. We'll just have to wait and see if she's successful. :) Thanks Morena!

**_skittlesdog:_** Great to hear from you! Yes, it does makes me feel better. :)

**_LupinLover99:_** You're welcome. :) Gosh, I hardly know what to say. Thanks!

**_Amber Hermione:_** About Severus. Thanks for being nice and not flaming me. Well, I can't change what I've written, it would change too much in the future, but I will do this for you. I'll have him do Remus, and maybe Hermione too, a big favor in a future chapter. It will probably be around chapter 19 or so (I haven't writing it get, I'm on 18). I do understand a bit about being mad at someone making Severus evil, I hate stories that make him a Death Eater (even after he joined Dumbledore's side). Also, about the P.S., I don't want to be confrontational, but I do have a beta reader that I really like, who's been correcting my chapters and giving me ideas since chapter 5. I'm sorry that you find me hard to understand sometimes. Aside from that, it's really cool that you're reading it to your sister. :) I see you've put this story on your favorites list, thank you! Thanks for the long review, and for reviewing "Many Cups of Sugar Get You to the Moon."

**_Rane2920072:_** I can understand being busy. I'm transitioning to a new job, so for about the next week and a half, it's going to be pretty crazy while I try to juggle two jobs, a horse, school, and going downstate for three days for my sister's graduation, LOL. Thanks for your encouragement. :)

**_BlackPaintedWhite:_** Ooooo, celery! LOL! Thanks. :) Not in this chapter, but in the future something bad will happen to them, yes. Thanks for reviewing twice!

Preview of next chapter: _Neville used a paper towel to sop up a potion spill on a desk, and as he threw it out, something in the garbage can caught his eye. It was the _Daily Prophet_. Neville rarely read the paper. Usually he was too busy trying to remember passwords and what homework he was assigned to be too bothered about the paper. Something made Neville pull it out for a look._


	11. Everything is Illuminated

A/N: By the way, everyone – I changed this story to sixth year. Nothing big, just a minor change.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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_**Everything is Illuminated**_

Some days later, Remus stood at Hermione's bedside in a nervous sweat. Tonight was the full moon, and the first time in many years that he was without the Wolfsbane Potion. Dread gripped him. What if, despite all precautions, Hermione was unable to protect herself from him? The implications of that were too horrible to contemplate. 'I need to keep calm,' Remus thought. 'Panicking isn't going to help or change the situation.' "Hermione, it's time for you to seal me into the basement," he said.

Hermione had just received a blood tranfusion, so she was able to get up on her own. Shakily, she followed him down the stairs, feeling tense and worried. What if Remus injured himself? He could not go to the hospital, and Hermione's own knowledge of medical charms and healing spells was rather limited. What if he died from blood loss? She couldn't bear the thought.

Remus, as he reached the basement stair, turned. "Fawkes will be coming soon to watch over you while you sleep. Keep your wand handy, Hermione. Go right back upstairs after you seal me in there. And," he paused awkwardly, "Don't hesitate to kill me if I break out, however you can manage it."

"No," said Hermione firmly. "I'd sooner have Fawkes take me to Dumbledore's office and risk being caught."

"Hermione, please," he implored. "Please _do as I say_. Now, the full moon is almost here, get to it," he said, motioning to the doorway of the basement.

Hermione raised her wand and the door snapped shut with a _click_. She set the most powerful sealing spells that she knew on the door, and anxiously climbed up the stairs.

Hermione tossed and turned in her bed. She could hear Remus's crying and howling in the basement below. He had transformed. She could not shake the thought of him being harmed from her mind. After nearly an hour, not being able to take it anymore, she walked back down the stairs. She sat next to the door and leaned against it, her arms curled around her protectively. She could hear him prowling restlessly around the basement and growling.

Her heart beat fast in fear, but determinedly she stayed put. It was her fault he did not have the Wolfsbane potion. She would stay up and listen for any sign that he had hurt himself, so she could help him. After some time, and despite her efforts to stay awake, she fell asleep. Fawkes appeared and landed gracefully on the couch, keeping protective watch over Hermione's sleeping form.

The next morning arrived. Hermione felt stiff from sleeping on the floor, but she did not regret her decision. She blinked in the daylight, straining her ears for any sound from the room below.

The door snapped open behind her back, making her jump. Remus gave a start when he saw Hermione lying on the floor. "Hermione, what are you doing? Have you been there all night?"

"Yes," she admitted quietly, getting up shakily. The blood transfusion was wearing off and she felt weak.

"Why? I told you to go upstairs," he said, gritting his teeth, an angry edge to his voice.

She stepped forward so she was closer to him. "I was worried about you."

"What if I had gotten out and attacked you!"

"I'm not afraid of you, Remus."

"You should be," he said intently. He became aware of the way they were staring at each other, and he could feel heat creeping to his face.

"Remus, I'm sorry, it's just that I care about you so very much. I wanted to be there if you were hurt." Hermione's eyes begged him to understand. "It's my fault you didn't have the Wolfsbane potion!"

"I don't want you to get hurt, either, Hermione," he said softly. "Please don't feel guilty, this was my choice, like I've said before." Somehow he just could not tear his gaze away from her. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you all right? You're still shaking."

"I'm fine." She looked into his eyes expectantly. He was looking like he had the other night, after her first blood transfusion. She wished she knew what he was thinking. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she whispered, curious.

Remus stood there helplessly, wavering between his two contrary desires. His face flushed a bit. The world seemed to stand still for a moment. What was he going to do now? A selfish part of him wanted to live a little before he went to Azkaban. But, even if she liked him back, it would end in heartbreak, and he could not do that to her. It was not like he could just force his hand and walk out of her life, though. This was something he had to face. It killed him to think that they could never have a future together. Why could he not come to terms with that? "It's nothing," he said reluctantly.

"Are you sure?" prodded Hermione. He had every reason to feel bothered. He kept too much to himself. She wished he would open up to someone for once. "We're in this together, you know."

"Really," he insisted, forcing a smile. "It's nothing."

Hermione hugged him tighter and buried her head in his chest. He rocked her slowly back and forth, wondering what to do next. She shifted her arm, and he cringed as she pressed into one of his fresh cuts. She did not know it was there; it was hidden underneath his clothes. Hermione let go of him abruptly. "Does that hurt?"

"Yes," he said, his answer having a double meaning.

"You should take care of that," she admonished him.

"I can't, it's on my back. Don't worry — I'll be fine. I've lived with this for years, Hermione."

"No," Hermione glared. "You've been taking care of me, and it's time I took care of you.

Now let me see it."

Remus grimaced as she pulled up the back of his shirt just enough to see how bad his cut was. He had not felt this embarrassed since he was forced to bathe Hermione, even with the _Lustral_ charm. "Hermione, are you sure this is absolutely necessary?"

Hermione ignored him. "I'm going to get the first aid kit Ginny gave me," she announced. "I'll be right back."

"She got you a first aid kit?"

"Yes, I thought you'd need it," Hermione answered shrewdly. 'Wait, I can just summon it with magic.' "_Accio_ Kit!" The kit zipped from her room and into her hands. She opened it and began cleaning and bandaging his cut. "Really, Remus, you shouldn't ignore cuts like these. You could get an infection, you know."

"Usually I don't have a concerned, clever young girl to watch over me," he teased. "I'm always too tired to do it myself, so it never gets done."

Hermione quietly finished her job and bossily sent him to his bedroom to rest. She struggled to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. Harry's blood was slowly leaving her system, taking her strength and mobility with it. She would have to go back upstairs to her own bed soon, before her strength left entirely.

* * *

Neville Longbottom picked up a bottle of dragon blood from a desk. He had received detention for accidentally hexing Snape instead of his fellow student, like he was supposed to. For detention, he was supposed to clean up the Potions classroom. Snape had evidentally thought that would be more unpleasant than cleaning the Defense classroom. 'Which it is,' he thought glumly, scrubbing at a mold-like substance on the flask.

He reminisced about his former DADA teachers. Quirrell had treated him nicely enough, and Neville had thought him an all right bloke. That is, until he found out that Voldemort was living on the back of his head. Lockhart had been too full of himself to take notice of any of his students. Moody was decent, Umbridge insane, and Snape was just cruel. His favorite professor by far had been Professor Lupin, who had unfortunately resigned in his third year. Neville had been so let down. He had not seen Professor Lupin at all until the end of fifth year, when he had helped to rescue Harry, himself, and the others from the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries.

'I wonder what Lupin is up to now,' thought Neville. He had not heard a thing about his former teacher for quite a while. He hoped that nothing had happened to him during the full moon the night before. He wished Lupin were still his teacher. He would have been more understanding about today's incident.

Neville used a paper towel to sop up a potion spill on a desk, and as he threw it out, something in the garbage can caught his eye. It was the _Daily Prophet_. Neville rarely read the paper. Usually he was too busy trying to remember passwords and what homework he was assigned to be too bothered about the paper. Something made Neville pull it out for a look.

As his eyes scanned the front page, his heart nearly stopped for a moment at a headline: "WEREWOLF STEALS GIRL'S BODY FROM HOSPITAL!" His heart sank when he saw a picture of Lupin, and then one of Hermione. He stood there, staring into space, a dumbfounded expression on his face. This just was not possible. It couldn't be.

Neville read the article slowly, trying to understand how this could have possibly occurred. Lupin? How could Lupin have done this? This was not like Lupin at all. Really, this had to be some mistake, there had to be some logical explanation. But, his picture was still clearly printed on the paper. It was not a very nice picture, either. And the charges were outrageous! He could hardly imagine anyone doing what Lupin was accused of.

Yet the _Daily_ _Prophet_ would not lie, would it? Yet, it had with Harry… It had said that he was crazy, and Hermione had broken his heart, and all those other things. Now it was saying that Lupin was a criminal. A traitor! He had stolen Hermione's body, and did all those other horrid things to her, and the staff at the hospital. Neville felt so confused. Who was he to believe? Lupin was his hero, his friend. He surely could not be the evil man the paper portrayed him as. This had to be a joke. A very early April Fool's joke. Did Lupin really only care for himself, contrary to what Neville had previously thought? Was Neville a complete fool for being so fond of Lupin while he was his professor? Was he duped the whole time? Lied to?

Neville threw the paper angrily back into the trash bin. He continued mopping up the potion, lost in thought. He was shocked. That meant that all of his DADA teachers were now either crazy, suspects or complete criminals. With the exception of Snape, though Neville personally begged to differ. This mess was disgusting, enough to incriminate Snape in his own mind. Why did Dumbledore keep him on? Everyone hated him.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Snape arrived and dismissed Neville from his detention with a sneer. Neville hurried to find Seamus to discuss what he had just found out about their former professor. It was not long before he bumped into him in the hallway.

"Yes, haven't you heard, Neville? Lupin's become a Death Eater," Seamus said.

Neville stared at him. He could not believe that Lupin could turn so evil overnight.

"You're joking, right?"

"No, the Ministry has started an official search for him. He's to be sent to Azkaban on sight! Quite a horrible scandal!"

"No kidding," said Neville blankly. "Thanks, Seamus, I have to go. Potions homework, you know." He turned and wandered his way to the portrait that hid the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. When he reached the Fat Lady, he sighed in frustration. He had forgotten the password _again_. He sat down by the portrait and stared at the stairs, hoping that someone would come soon and tell him the password.

Colin Creevey soon appeared. Neville stood up. "What's the password?" he asked.

"Fidelius," said Colin brightly.

"Thanks," said Neville, as they gained admittance.

He studiously settled into his Potions homework, his latest discovery whirling in his mind. A Death Eater sounded really extreme. The _Daily Prophet_ sounded even less believable now. He would have to keep a close eye on the paper from now on, to see happened to Lupin, and see if the paper could be trusted. He sure would love to know what really was going on.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:

**_SpikesDreamer:_** Yes, of course, I am a big fan of this pairing. I'm also a huge Harry/Hermione fan. I like writing Remus/Hermione better though, because it's more interesting to write. To me, Harry and Hermione are so much of a pair already that there won't be much of a journey for them to get together. Not the case with Remus and Hermione, making endless possibilities for stories. Anyway. Oh, thanks for the compliment! If it seems good, a great deal of credit should go to Le Grimoire. I should probably put her down as co-author. Yeah, time travel fanfictions are common, but quite fun to write, the Marauders rock. I might do another Time Travel one sometime. Thanks for reviewing!

**_Radingsouls4u:_** If I told you, it would spoil the story. :) I'll just say, you'll find out the answer to your first question in chapter 20– ish, and the answer to the second one in chapter 17. (I'm on 19) Thank you for reviewing!

**_MoonyNZ:_** Yeah, I thought of that parallel as I was writing it. I meant the "same fate" to mean, that they were both supposed to go to Azkaban, and end up dying there. Yes, I definitely hope JKR doesn't kill Remus off, or Harry or Hermione...unfortunately, I could easily see Remus or Harry dying. I love all the characters, but those are my favorite. I also have a strong liking for Dobby, he's funny. Thanks for reviewing, Moony!

**_AmberHermione:_** Wow, artful? Thanks for the compliment! Yeah, my beta reader is pretty good about correcting chapters quickly so I can post them. Poor girl, I've been bombarding her with e-mails lately, LOL. I appreciate your help. Thank you for your review!

**_Zeldon:_** Glad you found it interesting. Yes, I'll keep the updates coming. :) Thanks so much for reviewing, I always appreciate it!

**_Rane2920072:_** Thank you! Cheers. :) So far, being busy has turned out ok, LOL.

**_JinxTwix:_** Hmmm, Harry jealousy. I did that in Memory Split, which I see is on your favorites list, thanks. :) Usually I'm quite tempted to make it that way (being a Harry/Hermione fan) but in this story, he's quite busy doing other things, so I was able to resist the urge, LOL. In future stories it might be a bit that way, though. I'm so glad you're loving it! I love your name, by the way. I really appreciated your review.

**_Dancing in Rain:_** I'm glad you liked that! Yeah, I figured that since full moon was soon, and he probably did have some frustration bubbling under the surface, it had to reach some sort of climax. I love it when people name exactly what they like about what I write, and you did that, thanks so much!

**_LupinLover99:_** Hello my faithful reviewer. :) Thanks, I got the idea for that after I decided that having a limp, inactive Hermione for most of the story would be boring. Glad you thought it was good! Yes, Remus is so cute, I love writing him! We'll see if they get it together...not going to give any plot secrets away, LOL! Great to hear from you, as always.

**_Morena-Forever:_** Yeah, I'm quite into fanfiction as well...obviously, LOL! Been into it on and off for two years, when I first discovered it. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**_JTBJAB:_** Yes, poor Remus! He's sure gotten the short end of the stick in this story. Actually, in every story I've written, he's gotten the short end of the stick, poor guy. Thanks, always great to hear from you!

Preview of next chapter: _'I must stop thinking about such things. I still have time. I must cherish the time I have left,' he berated himself. He quickly finished up the pancakes, and was about to head upstairs when he heard yelling. Someone was shouting just outside the front door of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. 'That's impossible,' thought Remus. 'Only the Ministry would be able to figure out how to undo the Fidelius Charm, and they don't even know where this is, and Dumbledore wouldn't have told.'_


	12. Impossible Goes Both Ways

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Impossible Goes Both Ways**_

Remus Lupin wearily rubbed his eyes as he entered the kitchen. It was time to make breakfast. It was also a week after the last full moon. Harry had just come to give Hermione her regular blood transfusion. He expected she would come downstairs after her shower.

He felt a bit worried. Even with the blood tranfusion, she was extremely weak. She had refused Ginny's help, though. 'She's so stubbornly independent,' mused Remus as he prepared to cook.

He reflected on the past week. When he felt awake enough, he helped Hermione learn her Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense spells. She learned quickly, something he greatly admired. Whatever Michael had done to her sure had not affected her intelligence and love of learning. If Hermione ever returned to school, she would be able to seamlessly join the other students in their classes, except for Potions. Remus was awful at Potions, and, seeing as they didn't have any of the proper ingredients, they couldn't hold that class, so they merely studied the theory.

Remus began making pancakes, his thoughts wandering to Hermione. It pained him to have her so near, yet so far all the time. Her mere presence constantly reminded him of the life he could never have, and soon would lose. All because a doctor did not value life as much as he should, and Remus had disagreed, ruining his own. Yet, if he hadn't, he would have had to live with the knowledge that he could have tried to save Hermione for the rest of his life, and that would be almost as bad as being imprisoned in Azkaban.

'I must stop thinking about such things. I still have time. I must cherish the time I have left,' he berated himself. He quickly finished up the pancakes, and was about to head upstairs when he heard yelling. Someone was shouting just outside the front door of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. 'That's impossible,' thought Remus. 'Only the Ministry would be able to figure out how to undo the Fidelius Charm, and they don't even know where this is, and Dumbledore wouldn't have told.'

Remus tiptoed to the front door to investigate. As he drew closer, the voices became clearer.

"REMUS J. LUPIN! YOU MUST SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY! COME OUT HERE WITH HERMIONE JANE GRANGER'S BODY OR WE'LL BREAK DOWN THE DOOR! BY THE ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

Remus froze and paled, horrified. He had hoped this day would never come, and, though he knew it would, he had hoped it would not have been this soon. And Hermione. He was going to lose Hermione forever. 'I'm in love with her,' he realized. It was not just a passing infatuation. He was in love. Only love could make him hurt as badly as he did now. He had been lonely all his life because of his condition, and now when he had finally found someone, he was going to lose her.

He deliberated his options. He could surrender, as they wished, and be thrown straight in Azkaban; or he could try to escape, and get sent to Azkaban later. 'Later is always better,' thought Remus desperately. He ran up the stairs as fast as he could, their voices following him.

"WE'LL GIVE YOU FIVE MINUTES, LUPIN! THEN WE'RE TAKING THE PLACE BY STORM!"

Five minutes. Five minutes was all he had to pack, and make some sort of plan. He burst into Hermione's room, gasping for breath. Hermione's hair was dripping wet, as she had just gotten out of the shower.

"What's wrong?" demanded Hermione. "You look like you've just faced a dementor or something!"

She was close. If they did not get out of there quickly, he would be facing a lot of dementors in Azkaban.

"Ministry," he gasped. "The Ministry is here, to collect me. Just outside the door."

"We've got to escape! Do you have any ideas of where we could go?" She turned and started magicking essentials into a few bags. "How long do we have?"

"Less than five minutes," said Remus dazedly. For his part, he packed a few things too.

"Wonderful," said Hermione sarcastically. "Don't worry, Remus, I'm sure we'll find a way through this." She blinked away tears. "I couldn't let anything happen to you."

Remus wrapped his arms around her tightly. "We need to think fast. Where can we go? Not Hogwarts, certainly. Or your home, or the Weasley's."

"Let's go to the country!" suggested Hermione. "It'll take quite of bit of time for them to find us that way."

"Have any particular place in mind?" asked Remus.

"Let me think…" She wracked her brain for a good place, but nothing immediately came to mind.

"I've thought of a temporary place. It's remote, I don't think they'll look there."

"Just do it," urged Hermione anxiously. Their time was almost out.

Remus picked up the towel Hermione had been using to dry her hair. "_Portus_," he said tensely, thinking of the forest he had woken up in one morning after a transformation, when he had broken out of his restraints. No man's land was the way to go. They grasped their bags and picked up the towel. They simultaneously felt hooks behind their navels, pulling them irresistibly forward. Onward and onward they were towed, in a rush of wind.

About a minute later, they felt solid ground materialize beneath their feet. The world gradually stopped whirling, and they got a good look at their surroundings in the forest. He had, indeed, portkeyed them successfully to the place he had imagined.

"What do we do now?" wondered Hermione.

"I'm going to put a Disfigurement Charm on myself, so no one will recognize me," declared Remus. He muttered a spell, and his hair turned black, his eyes changed into a deeper blue, his scars faded, and he shrunk a bit. "There. How do I look?"

"Great, your guise is convincing," said Hermione. They stood silent a moment. "Let's start walking, and get a feel for how populated the area is,"she suggested sensibly. Remus nodded, and they wandered forward, keeping a sharp eye for signs of life. Before long, Hermione needed to lean on Remus for support as she shuffled along. Harry's blood was slowly leaving her system, weakening her. Remus held her up with one arm, his werewolf senses on high alert.

They had been walking through the woods for several minutes when suddenly they happened upon a clearing. A blond woman was heaving a pole up, grunting in frustration. It appeared to be some sort of farm. "Oh, why did Pat decide to go to the tour _today?_" she groaned loudly. The fence, they could see, was broken.

"Excuse me," said Remus politely.

The woman shrieked, dropping the pole. She turned towards them, clutching her chest. "I wasn't expecting visitors." Her voice was tinted with an Australian accent.

"We took a wrong turn," explained Remus lamely. "Can you direct us to the nearest town?"

"It's not for miles, down the highway," she gasped, raising an eyebrow. A wrong turn? How interesting! 'Sounds like an excuse my horse, Remmer would make, if he could talk!' "Are you trying to get to the hospital?" she asked. The man's companion didn't look very well. 'Come to think of it, he doesn't look well, either.'

"No, we're just looking for a place to stay," Remus responded.

The woman appeared to be deep in thought, her hands on her hips and her eyes squinted funnily. After a few awkward minutes, she spoke.

"We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Linda Paeton," she said, extending her hand.

Remus thought fast. "Remus Groonger," he offered. "This is Hermione Groonger. I'm her guardian."

'Groonger? _Honestly!_' Hermione thought exasperatedly, before weakly offering a greeting to the woman.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

Linda wondered if Hermione was disabled, but she thought it would not be polite to ask. "Yes, it's a pleasure! Remus, while you're here, do you think you can help me with this fence?"

"That won't be a problem," stated Remus. "Here, Linda, why don't you help Hermione. She's partially paralyzed. I'll get it for you."

Linda took Hermione and helped her sit down on the grass, and held her up when she realized that the girl could not sit up on her own. Meanwhile, Remus had slipped out his wand and fixed the fence with a few flicks. When Linda turned back to him, he pretended to put the finishing touches on it.

"So fast! That's brilliant!" exclaimed Linda. "I sure could use you around here! You wouldn't _believe_ how much work horses can be."

Remus was about to open his mouth to say he was about to go on his way, when he considered what Linda had said. _'I sure could use you around here.'_ He had been offered a job! The only person to ever offer him a job before was Albus Dumbledore. Of course, Linda was a Muggle and did not know about his condition, but still. He could definitely use a job at the moment. "Are you hiring?" he questioned.

"Yes!" said Linda eagerly. "Have you ever worked with horses before?"

"Never been around them, sorry," said Remus, beginning to have doubts. Prey animals were generally afraid of him, especially because he was a werewolf.

"No problem, I'm sure you could learn easily enough. It could benefit Hermione too, do you know that horses are good for rehabilitation?"

"Is that so?" inquired Remus, intrigued. Maybe things could work out after all.

"Yes, of course. Here, let me show you around the farm, and maybe we could discuss what kind of work I could give you."

"All right," said Remus, picking up Hermione, who was now too weak to stand on her own.

"Don't you have a wheelchair?" asked Linda curiously.

"Can't afford one," said Remus, not having any idea what she was talking about. He was telling the truth, though. He didn't have a cent of Muggle money on him.

Linda showed him all around her large property, and Remus magicked some repairs when she wasn't looking. They discussed the kind of work Remus might be able to do. Remus nervously tried to excuse away why he would not be able to work around the full moon. Then Linda came up with a proposal.

"You know, we could use help on my horsemanship tour this year. If you don't mind living in a trailer and moving around a lot, that's something you could do. But you have to reach level one of horsemanship to do that. It's easy, I can teach you right now, if you'd like."

Remus asked her about dates and locations, and he was quite relieved to find that none of them landed on the full moon. The whole thing was beginning to sound more possible, even ideal. If they constantly moved, it would be less likely that they would be caught. Besides, hanging out with Muggle horses would be an unlikely place for the Ministry of Magic to even think of to look. "All right, I accept the position," declared Remus, smiling broadly. A real job!

"Great! Here, I'll get my horse, Chinook, and I'll give you some quick lessons. We're going on tour tomorrow. Pat drove in advance, and I'll be following him in the truck. You and Hermione can ride along in back."

Linda got Chinook out and taught Remus things like grooming, leading, and general handling. To his surprise, the horse did not react negatively to him at all. He wondered why, it was quite strange. He did not have to wait long to find out. Linda gave him a long lecture on horse psychology and how to get horses to cooperate with human "predators." The horse must not have seen him as threatening, then, because she was used to the concept of trusting her natural enemy. Remus wondered idly to himself if all horses were like that, or just Linda's.

After some persuasion, Remus convinced Linda to let them sleep in her trailer that night. In return, he would do some repairs. When Linda was helping Hermione into the trailer, Remus ran around with his wand and flicked things into shape. He hoped he would not have to use Muggle machinery. He had never used it in his life.

Linda, upon returning to find him, gaped at what she saw. "Wow, you work fast! It's like magic." She grinned. "I bet the girls just run to you," she teased.

Remus laughed. "Actually, I've never had a girlfriend."

"Well, I've got Pat. We've been married a few years now," offered Linda. "We run our business here with horse training and make pretty good money. What about you, what have you done before? Construction, probably, right?"

"I did one of those government jobs you can't talk to people about," Remus explained, referring to the Order of Phoenix. It wasn't exactly a job, but it was close enough.

"How interesting," commented Linda. 'That explains a lot,' she concluded. 'Except for how he ended up caring for Hermione. Usually guardians are married, I think.'

"Is Hermione a relative of yours?" she asked.

"No relation, just a friend. Now, if you don't mind, I'm getting a bit tired, and I'd like to get to sleep," said Remus, hoping she wouldn't pry further.

"Go right ahead, you've done a good job today." Linda nodded, smiling. "I'll be in the house if you need me for anything."

"Thank you," said Remus as he hurried towards the trailer. The Ministry of Magic seemed so far removed from this place. He felt hopeful that he could elude them for many years. But what if he could? What about Hermione? He could hardly expect her to stick around all that time. She had her own life to lead, one that did not involve running from the law. She undoubtedly would want to return to Harry, especially since he could temporarily lift the effects of the _Avada Kevadra_ for her. It would be something they would have to discuss soon. Perhaps something could be worked out. In the meantime, Remus would enjoy his time here.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:

**_SpikesDreamer:_** Yes, I do plan on writing another one. Glad you're going to stick around, thanks. Yes, someone has been pumping those rumors out, we shall see who soon. ;) Thanks for reviewing!

**_Lunatik27:_** Wow, this is your favorite way for them to get together? Cool, thanks! We'll find out if he does in chapter 16. Great to hear from you!

**_MoonyNZ:_** Yeah, I don't to make you be late for work. :) Thanks for taking the time to review, though!

**_JinxTwix:_** Sorry, I don't speak that form of sign language. :) Thanks for dropping a note.

**_Rane2920072: _**LOL! Oh, the fluff in the last chapter wasn't enough? Hmmm...I'll have to work on that. ;) Hey, I like cheers. I haven't seen anyone else use that on his site. So it IS original. :) Thanks for your review!

**_JTBJAB:_** Don't I wish I could bring Sirius back. :) But no, SOMEONE killed him off. (glares pointedly at JKR) Neville will play a different role that you'll see in chapter 19. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**_Morena-Forever:_** Yes, fanfiction is a nice distraction from real life. :) Helps clear my mind of the craziness of the day. Thank you for reviewing!

**_LupinLover99:_** Yeah, I read that in another fanfiction and liked it so much that I included that idea in mine. :) It is cute! Neville plays a different role that you'll see later on. Don't worry, it's not rash. :) Thank you, as always!

**_Amber Hermione:_** Sure, I'll check it out, maybe tonight. I'll tell her, LOL, although I have laid off a bit on the e-mails lately. I'm glad it came across that I've gotten into their minds effectively. That's what I do when I write, I try to imagine where their feelings would be (or need to be) logically then make a decision on what's going to happen. Thanks so much for your review, I really liked how you were specific.

Preview of next chapter: _Then Remus spoke. "You know, Hermione, I know we just arrived here, but I think we need to think about our — I mean your — future. I like it well enough, passing for a Muggle, but you have a life to lead back at Hogwarts with your friends, and at home with your family. I was thinking about secretly dropping you off at a Ministry post. They would send you back to your parents. Or you could stick it out with me for a while longer, if you wanted. I think it would take a long time to find me, especially if Dumbledore helped. But don't think that I'm trying to get rid of you!" he smiled._


	13. Muggle Propositions

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Muggle Propositions**_

The next morning found Remus and Hermione riding in the trailer towards the first tour stop. Geography had never been Remus's strong point and he hardly cared where they were headed, as long as it wasn't the Ministry or any area with wizards around. He had to be sure that he zapped himself with his wand every so often to keep his Disfigurement charm working. He didn't like to consider the disaster that would ensue if it faded. Rumors would fly and the Ministry would pounce on him immediately, he was sure.

Within a few hours they were traveling along the shore. Remus pulled out a map and studied it. Evidently, the Atlantic Ocean was on their left. He'd never seen the ocean before. "How about we make a trip to the beach later, if we get a chance?" Remus suggested, eyeing Hermione.

Hermione twitched her mouth, smiling, and winked her right eye. It would be pleasant to be out in the open air, she had not spent this much time outside in so long. She felt better being outdoors. It was so exciting to be traveling the country, and undercover at that. Her Gryffindor spirit quite enjoyed this.

The trailer slowed to a stop, and Linda pounded on the door. Remus hurried over and opened it, allowing Linda inside. "We've arrived," Linda announced cheerfully. "Time to get into gear and set things up." She clapped her hands together. "Are you bringing Hermione along? She can watch. We can set up a chair for her."

"That sounds wonderful! Let's go, Hermione," Remus said, scooping Hermione into his arms.

Linda puzzled for a moment, wondering why Hermione did not talk. She had said a few words yesterday. Suddenly, she had a brilliant idea! She would have to talk it over with Pat first, however. She was sure he would agree that it was brilliant, though. Great minds always think alike. "Here, let me introduce you to Pat. Follow me," she directed.

They followed her into a big arena, where a big man was playing with a black quarter horse stallion. "Pat! Do you have a moment?" She turned back to them. "That's Casper, by the way. He's the most difficult horse Pat's ever worked with, because he doesn't bond easily and bucks like a madman."

Pat jogged over, his stallion trotting at his heels. "Hello, I'm Pat Paeton," he introduced himself, reaching for Remus's hand, then Hermione's.

"I'm Remus," he said, returning the handshake, "and this is Hermione. I'm her guardian. She's partially paralyzed. That's why she isn't shaking your hand, sir."

Pat's eyes widened slightly and he nodded in understanding. He picked up Hermione's hand and gave it a gentle shake. "Nice to meet you," he said kindly.

Hermione, as she looked into his piercing eyes, could tell he had seen all the world could dish up. She wondered if he had ever got wind of the Wizarding World. Probably not, if the Ministry had been doing its job properly. She thought of Remus. Then again, anything was possible.

"Pat, I'm going to set Remus to work. And, I have an idea to discuss with you. I think I've come up with a new program for the tour. I'll see you in the arena after I give Remus some directions." Linda beckoned Remus to follow her.

Linda strolled around and pointed out everything that needed to be cleaned or set up. Then she left them, heading back to the arena, evidently to talk with Pat. Remus scraped his way through the day, magicking his way through his job when people were not looking, and pretending to work the rest of the time. This proved harder and harder to do as the day progressed, for more people began arriving. Remus managed to finish before he was forced to put his wand away entirely.

It was late afternoon when he and Hermione returned to the trailer. When he set her down on the couch, he sat down beside her. "How about we portkey to the beach soon? We're only going to be here for a few days, and I'm not sure we'll get another chance."

Hermione winked her right eye and gave him her best smile. She felt excited to see the ocean; her family did not often vacation at the shore. Remus took a few minutes to pack a bag of things they might need, and then picked up a handkerchief to use as a portkey. Within seconds, the pair was sitting on the beach. A bunch of girls sat on a beach towel in front of them. It was not long before he picked up on some of their conversation, and realized they were discussing what they thought of the men parked a bit further down the beach.

Remus put a coat on Hermione, and then pulled one on him. It was rather cold. Remus turned towards Hermione as he held her up in a sitting position. They reclined there for several minutes in silence, enjoying the fleeting serenity.

Then Remus spoke.

"You know, Hermione, I know we just arrived here, but I think we need to think about our — I mean your — future. I like it well enough, passing for a Muggle, but you have a life to lead back at Hogwarts with your friends, and at home with your family. I was thinking about secretly dropping you off at a Ministry post. They would send you back to your parents. Or you could stick it out with me for a while longer, if you wanted. I think it would take a long time to find me, especially if Dumbledore helped. But don't think that I'm trying to get rid of you!" he smiled.

Remus stared out over the waves, trying to avoid looking at her in case she wanted to communicate with him in regards of what he had just said. If Hermione left, he would be all by himself again. He would not even have Wizarding friends anymore. Muggles were nice enough, but certainly his life would never be the same. He felt the ache of loss of the companion that had yet to even leave. 'At least I'm still free. This is better than Azkaban,' he consoled himself.

After a few more minutes, the pair discreetly left the beach by portkey. Remus unpacked the Pensieve and, reminding Hermione of his words on the beach, extracted a memory from her head. It was the memory of the night of Hermione's first blood transfusion. It ended with her line, "'And besides, I can't abandon Remus.'"

Remus grinned as he lifted his head from the Pensieve. Hermione wanted to stay! "All right, Hermione, you can stick it out for a few more weeks, and then we'll see how things are going. I must admit I'm quite glad you decided to stay. I like having you around." He squeezed her hand.

They both jumped at the sound of pounding on the door. Remus strolled over and opened it. Pat and Linda came in and sat down. "We'd like to discuss something with you," Pat announced.

Remus took his place by Hermione and beckoned them to continue.

"We like to think of different creative ways that we can promote natural horsemanship, especially to show that anyone can do it, regardless of age, race, gender, or mental or physical abilities," started Linda. "And I know Hermione would really benefit from hippotherapy. Pat's son, you see, suffered from a stroke when he was ten, and suffered paralysis. He wasn't supposed to walk again. Through hippotherapy and our support, he walks and runs now with only a slight limp."

"We thought that maybe we could do demonstrations on our tour with Hermione. We would document her progress for our students and prospective students to see," added Pat.

"It would be free for both of you. Here's your pay, by the way. You wanted currency, correct?" asked Linda.

"Yes, thank you," said Remus, smiling. He did not know how much it was compared to Wizarding money, but he had a feeling it was more cash than he had on hand for a long time.

"If it's okay with you, we could start tomorrow. Or if you need to think about it, that's fine too," Pat said.

"What do you think, Hermione?" Remus asked her. 'I wish I could use the Pensieve right now.'

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment. Since she suffered from a magical malady, she didn't believe any Muggle therapy would help her much. But it certainly couldn't hurt to try. Perhaps she should humor them and accept. This would put her in the public eye, though. 'But they're looking for a dead body, so when they see me, alive, they'll assume we're just distant cousins or something,' she decided. She winked her right eye in affirmation.

"Wonderful. You see, winking her right eye means yes, and the opposite for the left," Remus explained. "We accept, then. So we'll begin tomorrow, as you said?"

"Yes, tomorrow. I'll find a suitable horse for her by then, I'm sure. Have you ever ridden?" Linda asked, addressing Hermione.

Hermione indicated yes. Her father took her for a couple rides when she was younger before he had found out about her magical capabilities. She had not ridden since then. It had been quite fun.

"Great! So you have an idea of what to expect. I'll ride double with you. Don't worry — you will be quite safe. We're rather big on safety."

"I think we had better get going," Pat urged. "I need to make more arrangements with other people."

"Right," agreed Linda. "We're so glad you accepted! It'll be lots of fun. See you tomorrow!"

Remus said goodbye and watched them leave. Tomorrow would prove to be quite an interesting day.

* * *

As Neville ate his breakfast, he noticed Harry, Ron, and Ginny huddled over the _Daily Prophet_, worried looks on their faces. His curiousity piqued, he walked over to them and peeked over their shoulders. The headline read: "DEATH EATER WEREWOLF CONTINUES TO RAMPAGE!" The story detailed how bravely the Ministry had fought against the Death Eater, but how he had slipped away with Hermione's body before he could be stopped. Neville frowned a bit. Remus was likely not to be in fighting condition, since the full moon has just occurred. Surely, ten Ministry officials would be able to overpower him? Quite odd, that. He returned to his seat, clutching his Remembrall. It was turning colors. 'Now, if I can just remember what I've forgotten,' groaned Neville.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny huddled together in whispered discussion of the article. They had found out about Remus and Hermione's disappearance earlier this morning. Number 12, Grimmauld Place was in shambles. They had no clue where Remus and Hermione had gone. No owls had come yet either.

"What are we going to do?" wondered Ginny.

"We should keep a close eye on the Ministry, and try to keep one step ahead of them," said Harry. "Maybe we could ask Dumbledore to let your dad into the secret, and he could get all the inside information for us."

"Let's do that right now," Ginny suggested. The trio marched over to Dumbledore's office and knocked on his door. When they gained admittance, Harry explained their idea to Dumbledore.

"I've already spoken with him," said Dumbledore. "He says the Minister has been acting awfully strange lately. He seems to have an inordinate amount of interest in capturing Remus. They currently have no leads to his whereabouts. I, myself, have tried in various ways to find him, and failed, I'm afraid. I'm sure he'll turn up soon. I would advise you to return to your classes now, or you'll be late."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny exited Dumbledore's office and begrudgingly hurried their separate ways.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:

**_LupinLover99:_** Hey, I didn't know David was in Black Beauty, who does he play? Yeah, I decided on horses because I wanted Hermione to get some sort of therapy, and hippotherapy was the only kind I even know remotely about. So glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing!

**_Morena-Forever:_** Always nice to hear from a fellow fanfic addict. :) Thanks for your review!

**_MoonyNZ:_** Yeah, the explanation for that is coming in chapter 18, I believe. I got the idea from OOTP, actually. Glad you liked that line! We'll see if it changes. ;) Thank you for reviewing!

**_JTBJAB:_** Yes, you'll find out how the Ministry found out by chapter 19. I really like Sirius too. :) Great to hear from you, thanks!

**_SpikesDreamer: _**Yeah, it is quite a twist! I was stuck in chapter 12 for the longest time, because I was afraid I was taking it too far out of the HP world. Originally I had them go to America, but then I changed it. Very glad you like Linda! Her personality is based on a real person (although it's not an exact copy, that would be against fanfiction rules, unfortunately) who I really like, almost idolize. Thanks so much!

**_Radingsouls4u:_** (feels really sheepish) I didn't know blood cells hung around that long! I nearly flunked Biology, that's probably why. But, for this story, maybe his blood does stay around that long, just the magic wears off after a bit. Thanks for reviewing!

**_Rane2920072:_** LOL! Remy-poo...I cracked up when I read that! The guardian thing was just a spoof he gave Linda to try to explain how he ended up with Hermione...half true because he is guarding her, just not in the legal sense. :) They aren't going to stick around the muggles for long, they'll be gone in chapter 16. Pancakes are good, I like the kind with chocolate chips and strawberries and whipped cream. Thanks, cheers to you as well!

**_Amber Hermione:_** Yeah, to me, characterization is number one (did I say that before?). You'll find out who was responsible soon. :) You know, beta-ing for a story would be fun, but I've just got a job that's nearly 30 hours a week, so my time is very limited on top of all my other activities (like my horse). I can't do it, sorry.

**_Scubakat29: _**You know, I'd forgotten about bones producing blood, but now that you mention it, I remember learning about that in Biology class (which I almost flunked, it was my worst class, I hated it, too many names!). I'll have to think on this one, thanks for bringing it up!

**_Oddballout:_** Hi, I'm really glad you gave it a chance! I promise I won't stop. :) I'm writing chapter 20 right now, and that's almost the end. Thanks for your enthusiasm, it's really encouraging!

**_Remusgrl01:_** Wow, addicting? It's a bit addicting to me too. :) I really appreciate your comments!

Preview of next chapter: _"I — well —" began Remus nervously. He could tell, by her expression, that cutting boards weren't normally used to make pancakes. Perhaps they had to heat it manually or something. Remus had just used a heating spell. "It's a new invention. I agreed to — try it out. You know, it was part of my old job. When I worked for the government. Yes, that's it," he stuttered._


	14. Tour Appearance

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Tour Appearance**_

_Remus found himself walking to Hermione's room, and he knocking on her door._

"_Come in, Remus," he heard her say. _

_He opened the door, and was surprised by a beaming Hermione, who was sitting up in her bed. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. _

"_Good morning," he returned, sitting down beside her. He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Hermione, I was wondering if you wanted to return to Lond —" _

"_No!" she exclaimed, and then her expression turned into an affectionate smile. "I want to stay with you, Remus. Forever." _

_Remus was overjoyed. He pulled her close, and then —"_

Remus awoke to a noise. Someone was pounding on the door. 'Why does Linda have to be so loud?' he wondered. 'She interrupted a really nice dream! I was just about to kiss her!' He peeked out the window. 'It's not even dawn. When does the lady sleep?' He shuffled to the door and reluctantly opened it.

"Good morning!" said Linda brightly.

Remus forced a smile and tried to look perky as well. "Good morning, Linda. Come on in," he invited.

Linda entered the trailer, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I found a good horse for Hermione! His name is Cricket. I was hoping to get an early start to record where she's currently at with her mobility, if you don't mind. Is she awake?"

"I can check," Remus offered. He rubbed his eyes wearily and walked to Hermione's room. He had given her the bed, while he slept on the couch. He entered the only bedroom of the trailer and stepped into her line of vision. "Hermione, are you awake?"

Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She frowned a bit in puzzlement as she focused in on Remus. He appeared to be tired and a trifle irritated.

"Linda is here, she wants to start the hippotherapy," he explained, before smiling wryly. "Do all Muggles wake up at such ungodly hours?"

Hermione's mouth twitched into a smile. She knew horse and farm people were famous for being early risers, but certainly not all Muggles were. She indicated "no," her eyes laughing at him.

Remus returned the smile good-naturedly. It was just his luck to be stuck with a Muggle who liked to get up early. "What should I tell Linda? Would you like having a bit of breakfast and then start?"

Hermione agreed. Remus left the room and related that to Linda.

"Great! Well, I've already had mine, so do you mind me waiting here until you're ready?" Linda requested.

"Go ahead," agreed Remus without thinking. He stopped in his tracks on the way to the kitchen. He wouldn't be able to use magic, or would have quite of job of explaining it away. That would pose significant problems, as he had never cooked without magic before. "You can wait in the living room, if you like," he added hopefully. She would not be able to see much of what he did from there.

"Sure," she said, plopping down on the couch. She started doing stretches before proceeding to redo her ponytail.

Remus smiled in relief began making pancakes with magic. He was just about to flip them over when Linda entered the kitchen.

"You know, I've been thinking —" she started, and then raised her eyebrows at the sight she saw. Remus had a bunch of pancake batter on a cutting board, and the batter was bubbling incessantly. "My goodness!"

"I — well —" began Remus nervously. He could tell, by her expression, that cutting boards weren't normally used to make pancakes. Perhaps they had to heat it manually or something. Remus had just used a heating spell. "It's a new invention. I agreed to — try it out. You know, it was part of my old job. When I worked for the government. Yes, that's it," he stuttered.

She curiously stepped forward, seeming to buy his explanation. "How does it heat?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Internal plugs or batteries, maybe?" he speculated. He knew that Muggles used plugs and batteries to power things. Mr. Weasley had shown off his plug and battery collection to him on numerous occasions. He held his breath. If he were lucky, Linda would not be suspicious.

"Really? That's brilliant. I can't wait until this comes out on the market. Pat would love to see this," commented Linda, causing Remus to cringe inwardly. The last thing he needed was for more Muggles to see this. "You'd better flip your pancakes or they'll burn!" she urged.

Remus had no idea how Muggles normally flipped pancakes. He scrambled around the kitchen, looking for a likely object. Linda strode over to a drawer and held up a flat looking metal contraption. "Here's the spatula!" she said triumphantly, handing it to him.

"Thanks," he said matter-of-factly. He wished Linda would leave the room so he could use magic. He did not see why Mr. Weasley liked Muggle ways so much, they were much more difficult and confusing than using magic. He flipped the pancakes, which were rather dark and brown by now.

"You know, I never did get to the riding part of level one with you," she said thoughtfully. "We'll have to do that, maybe after I'm done with Hermione, if I have time."

"Wonderful," responded Remus, feeling rather distracted with everything on his mind. He wondered what the Ministry was up to, as well as the Order. He wondered how he was going to get through the next full moon. What was going to happen with Hermione? How long would he be able to keep the secret that he was a wizard, and not only that, a werewolf and convict, from Linda and her friends? He sure wished he had paid more attention in his classes about Muggles in his younger years at Hogwarts. It would make his problems so much easier to handle.

Linda squinted her eyes thoughtfully as she gazed at Remus. Something seemed to be on his mind. Perhaps he was worried about how Hermione. Or maybe he was nervous because he had never ridden before. Or maybe it was something else entirely, something that was none of her business. 'Speaking of Hermione, though, I wonder how he feeds her. Maybe he won't mind if I ask.'

"Can I ask you a question?"

Remus glanced at her doubtfully. He wanted to say _no,_ but then, that would definitely make her suspicious. "Yes," he agreed reluctantly.

"I was wondering how you feed Hermione. Does she eat normally? Do you use a feeding tube, or something else?"

Remus opened and closed his mouth a couple times. What was he supposed to do, lie to her? 'Maybe I can just give her an evasive answer, and somehow find a way to keep her from watching.' "It goes through her system normally." There. That was close enough.

Linda frowned. His answer had been rather strange. He did not seem to keen on the subject, so she did not press the matter. Whatever he was doing seemed to be fine. Hermione looked quite healthy.

Remus finished the pancakes and frantically tried to think of a way to get rid of Linda. He needed to feed Hermione, himself, and undo the heating charm, all things he could not do without magic. "Do you have to get Cricket ready for Hermione? Doesn't he need to be groomed, or something?"

"Oh yes, that's right. I should go do that. Just come to the arena when you're ready," Linda said, and then exited the trailer.

Remus heaved a big sigh of relief once Linda had left. She was a nice enough person, but trying to keep all those secrets and act like a Muggle, which he knew next to nothing about, was rather nerve-wracking. He quickly fed Hermione, ate breakfast, and cleaned the place up with some quick spells.

"Wonderful, we're ready. Come on, Hermione," he said, picking her up and heading for the arena.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived. Linda was holding a black, white, and brown paint quarter horse next to an odd looking vehicle. She beckoned them closer and motioned Remus to set Hermione down on the vehicle.

Remus studied the contraption after setting Hermione down in it. It had wheels, a secure seat, a steering wheel, and stop and go pedals. He turned to get a good look at the horse. He appeared to be just less than five feet tall, and a mischievous look twinkled in his eyes. He eyed Remus with a plotting, calculating look. 'I'll have to keep an eye on him,' Remus decided.

Linda was busy talking to Hermione, not paying attention to what Cricket was doing. The horse inched closer and closer to Remus, innocently reaching out and sniffing the man's shirt with his nose. He encountered a stick underneath the man's shirt. Cricket nibbled at it a bit with his lips, looking for a way to get a hold of it. He finally encountered a bit of it sticking out from underneath Remus's shirt. Remus kept a close eye on him the whole time. The horse only appeared to be curious, not meaning any harm, so he made no move to ward him off.

Suddenly Cricket grabbed hold of his wand and ripped it out from underneath his shirt. The horse realized how irritated the man was at this, laughed with his eyes and began twisting his head every which way, avoiding Remus's frantic attempts retrieve the stick.

Linda turned around, and, seeing Remus's situation, clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. She coughed a bit, and then managed to pull a straight face together. "Do you remember what I said about approach and retreat the other day? Don't go for what you want directly, you have to outsmart him. He might be faster, bigger, and stronger, but you're smarter. Here, grab hold of the lead rope."

Remus followed her directions, and, after a few nerve-wracking minutes, managed to retrieve his wand with it still intact. Even better, Linda did not ask what the object was, she just commented, "We don't use that kind of stick on horses around here." That was all. Remus stuck it underneath his shirt again. He certainly would not let any man or beast touch it after this.

He took several steps away from Cricket and watched what Linda was doing with Hermione. Hermione was propped up in the seat of what she called a "go-cart." Linda was just finishing an explanation of what she planned to do. "Something I'm going to cover later on, that really might help you, is the concept of raising and lowering your 'life.' For instance, when you're running, you have much more life energy than when you're walking." She paused a moment, turning to Cricket. "Now, let's start," she said. "Can you hold this lead rope?"

Hermione twitched her hands determinedly. However, she was unable to close her hands around the rope.

"That's all right," said Linda. "I'll help you. Can you wiggle your finger at Cricket? Get a firm look on your face."

Hermione did so, and to her surprise, the horse began backing up. She smiled brightly. At last, something she could do on her own! The rest of the session preceded much like that, with Hermione being able to get the horse to do things, despite her very limited mobility. Linda helped her out a bit, but tried to let Hermione do everything whenever possible. She also rode double with Linda, who held her up and encouraged her to try to do things on her own. By the end of the session, Hermione was in good spirits. This was quite fun!

Then it was Remus's turn. He had never ridden a horse in his life. Linda decided that he would ride Cricket, since he was out anyway. As a Gryffindor, riding did not scare him at all. He soon found that the horse had an annoying trick of stopping out of the blue, whenever Remus was least expecting it. This would nearly pitch the man over his head. Linda taught him how to get the horse to stop doing that. By the end of the session, he had almost achieved level one.

"I think you need to work on giving him more rein, and your phases of firmness. Those 'predator' instincts of grabbing seem especially strong in you, but that's okay! It makes the journey more interesting," commented Linda thoughtfully.

'Maybe I'm having a hard time because I'm a werewolf,' speculated Remus. He did not care that much, though, he was just riding to humor Linda and keep his job. Brooms were so much easier; they did not have any brains or feelings to worry about.

Hermione's first appearance at the tour that afternoon went quite well. They kept it short and simple. Remus introduced Hermione to the crowd with a short speech about her condition. People applauded a lot, and some took pictures. Afterwards, Pat and Linda seemed quite pleased with how it turned out, so they planned a program with her for the rest of their tour stops. Remus readily agreed to it. The longer he kept his job with them, the more money he would have, the better. 'Besides, it would keep Hermione around longer,' he thought to himself, a little selfishly. 'That's the biggest bonus.'

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:

**_MoonyNZ:_** You're very close! Good guesses! Thanks for the great review, as always. :)

**_Amber Hermione:_** I did read and review your story. No offense, but it's not really my cup of tea, I like Remus/Hermione and Harry/Hermione stories mainly. It has some good ideas though, and it made me think of a new idea for a Remus/Hermione story. :) I'm really sorry, nothing personal! Thanks for reviewing!

**_Rane2920072:_** I love your peppy attitude! Unfortunately, fanfiction net edited out most of the exclamation points, LOL! Cheers! (lots of exclamation points after that! ;)) Thank you so much for reviewing!

**_The Owner of Two Pianoes:_** Thanks! I do try to get a mix of everything, maybe a bit of humor, mystery, angst, adventure, personal journeys and a lot of romance. :) Thanks for letting me know about characterization, I like it when people let me know about that kind of thing. Yes, Hermione was a bit hard to do in this one, it is hard to know how she'd react. Thanks again, I really appreciated your review!

**_Morena-Forever:_** Yeah, horses are cool, I own one! Very proud of that. :) I re-read OotP, and unfortunately found out that Hermione doesn't like horses. Oops. Well, I'm going to make her like them, LOL! Thanks for reviewing!

**_LupinLover99:_** Cool! I haven't watched Black Beauty in awhile, I'll have to rent it now. :) Always glad to hear from you. :)

**_JTBJAB:_** Yeah, gotta be careful about those muggles, LOL! You brought up some pretty good points. I probably should have elaborated on them a bit more. I felt that Linda would think that it's a bit of a sensitive subject, like how Hermione was fed, so would just let it drop. Thank you so much for your review!

**_Oddballout:_** This story is going to end at about Chapter 20. Yes, after this one, I do plan on writing another one. I don't know if you've visited my profile page, I've written two other Remus/Hermione stories too. Anyway, my next one that I probably will do is going to be titled "A Wolf for Your Scar." It will be Remus/Hermione. The summary is in my profile. I'm not 100 that that is the one I'm going to do, but it looks like it right now. Great to hear from you again, thanks!

**_SpikesDreamer:_** Yes, we'll find out about that in the next chapter. :) I like Neville too! Thanks a million for reviewing!

**_Radingsouls4u:_** Hey, that's ok, I appreciate input like that. It gets me thinking about new possibilities. :) Good to hear from you, thanks!

**_ArcticAngelzTX:_** Very glad to hear you love this story. :) There's nothing more encouraging than that, thank you for reviewing!

**_JinxTwix:_** That's ok. My parents don't want me to give out that kind of information on the internet. Sorry.

**_BlackPaintedWhite:_** Wow, four reviews! I'm deeply gratified! Yay, celery. Do you mean the Celine Dion song? Yes, I like Celine Dion. I like songs in pretty much any genre, 90's and on, but I do like a few oldies. I can't imagine him as a Death Eater either, ever. Yay, cheese! I love cheese. Worked at a pizza place for three years, then quit because I didn't get enough hours. A hedge maze sounds really fun! You could put a silver cup in the middle and hope it doesn't take you to a graveyard, LOL! Cool, what kind of horses? I own one, described in this chapter. :) And now I will shamelessly plug Parelli Natural Horsemanship...I'm 10000 satisfied with it, I got the outstanding results that he said I would, the way he said I would, if you were looking for something fun to do with the horses that you might get. It teaches you everything you need and want to know. Totally rocks, I want to become a professional. Can you tell I'm a fan? LOL! Oooo, a cookie! Yum! Is it chocolate chip, my favorite? Glad you like the horsey insertion, it's a bit AU so I was uncertain about it, although I liked it very much, of course. :) A big, big, thank you, and a large piece of cake, (you choose what kind) for reviewing four times!

Preview of next chapter: _At first, Judge gave him an exasperated look, and was about to get up and leave because, clearly, he was not getting anywhere; but when he saw the picture, his expression changed dramatically. There sat the Mudblood, riding double with some blonde Muggle. After reading the article, he had Caton click another link to check the dates and locations of the tour, quickly finding the information he needed. 'All I have to do is get some Ministry officials, a portkey, and my job will be done!' Michael thought jubiliantly. He shook, or more like crushed, the boy's hand, and hurriedly exited the library. He had a mission to fulfill._


	15. Search for Truth

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Search for Truth**_

Remus and Hermione experienced a few more tour stops over the next couple weeks. They were now on the last tour stop before the full moon. Remus thought of many ways that he could safely survive the experience, and had settled on a risky plan of sealing himself into the Paeton's indoor arena and soundproofing the walls. It certainly was not an ideal solution, but it was the best he could do.

He shuffled aimlessly down the busy Muggle street. Hermione was safely locked up in the trailer, and Remus had decided to go out for a walk and a bit of fresh air. Remus, before long, found himself standing in front of a floral shop. He had not planned on spending any money, but a desire emerged from the back of his mind. Increasingly over the past couple days, he felt tempted to convince Hermione to stay with him, and to approach her with how he felt. 'It's just some flowers. No harm in giving her flowers,' he reasoned. 'No, there is. You'd give her the wrong idea. You shouldn't try to convince her to stay with you. You have nothing to offer her,' another side of him insisted.

Remus felt someone tap him on the shoulder, jolting him out of his reverie. He spun around, only to come face to face with Linda, who was smiling knowingly.

"Who is the girl?" she asked teasingly. She had never believed his claim that he never had and did not have a girlfriend.

"Nobody, I don't have a girlfriend," answered Remus, embarrassed.

Linda stared at him unbelievingly.

"Really, I don't," Remus insisted.

Linda paused a moment, squinting her eyes thoughtfully. 'Perhaps he's too shy, he does seem to be the quiet type.'

"You know, Remus, being a girl myself, I could give you some advice. Girls always appreciate flowers," she advised. She smiled encouragingly and walked away.

Remus hesitantly entered the shop and browsed around. When he entered the third aisle, he stopped. Lilies. He instantly thought of the woman who had been named after the flower. He smiled sadly. She had died far too young, leaving Harry parentless. It still pained him to think of the loss of her life. Yet, it had been mostly because of her that Harry had lived through the Killing Curse. It had been through her that he had gained hope of Hermione's rehabilitation. The flower represented death, hope, and courage all at the same time to him, Lily's death, her courage, and the hope she had inspired.

He picked out some lilies and paid for them at the counter. He made his way back to the trailer, feeling nervous. How was Hermione going to take this? He opened the door slowly and walked to her room, where she was lying on the bed, sleeping. "_Accio _vase," he whispered, and caught it as it raced to him. He placed the lilies in the vase and left the room, closing the door.

Hermione opened her eyes as she awoke. The trailer was quiet. She noticed something in the corner of her eye. She wiggled her neck until she was able to change positions. Linda's hippotherapy was helping somewhat, the 'life' concept especially, and she had gained a bit of mobility over the past couple weeks.

_Lilies. _Remus had put lilies by her bedside! 'How sweet,' she thought, her heart warming. 'I wonder what made him decide to do that.' She gazed at them for a minute. 'Does he fancy me?' she wondered. 'Maybe I'm just making too much of this. I shouldn't jump to conclusions. It's just flowers, after all.'

After some time, Remus entered the room and found her staring at the flowers. "Do you like them?" he asked. She winked in the affirmative. Feeling that he should give some sort of explanation, he quietly added, "They make me think of Lily."

'Oh, yes,' thought Hermione. 'How silly of me to think that he likes me! Of course lilies would make him think of her. I should have known.'

"Would you like to watch some television with me?" asked Remus. He had discovered the Muggle contraption in the trailer last week, and had managed to figure out how it worked.

Hermione agreed, so he picked her up and took her to the living room, where he set her down next to him on the couch. He wrapped an arm around her to help her keep sitting upright, and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels, glancing at her to see if she liked anything that was on. Finally they settled on a movie, "The Man Who Knew Too Much."

Remus let his thoughts wander as he watched the movie. Pat Paeton's tour would end soon, allowing Hermione to go back to Hogwarts. He would have to come up with some story to explain her absence. Then he would be alone again. Not only that, he would be a fugitive for the rest of his life. He probably would never see Hermione again, either, since he would have to keep his location tightly under wraps.

Tears filled his eyes at the thought. 'I mustn't cry,' he told himself firmly. 'Grown men don't cry.' His arm tightened around Hermione. 'Before she leaves, I want tell her how I feel about her. I don't want to make her feel guilty for leaving me, though. Either way, I'm going to regret it. I don't know what to do.'

* * *

Michael Judge entered a Muggle library, feeling quite disgruntled. Remus and Hermione, who he knew was still quite alive, had slipped right through his hands, despite tipping off the Ministry to their whereabouts and sending a whole Ministry squad after them. Voldemort certainly had not been pleased. Michael had exhausted all the Wizarding ways of finding them, so he now resorted to using Muggle resources, which he disdained. Right now, he was going to use something called the "Internet."

He sat himself down in front of an available computer screen, feeling clueless and scornful. This was probably going to be quite a waste of time. He stared at the strange array of buttons in front of him, all labeled with different letters, words, and symbols. He wondered why the letters were not in alphabetical order. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to them. Then, upon further examination, he found a strange instrument with two buttons on it, attached to a cord that seemed to be connected to the screen in front of him. He picked it up and turned it over, staring at the little ball underneath.

"Need some help?" offered an eager voice.

Judge set the odd ball-button thing down and turned to look at the teen, feeling annoyed at needing help from a Muggle. He was a boy who looked to be about sixteen, face full of pimples and an oversized set of glasses resting on his nose.

The kid, ignoring his annoyed expression, enthusiastically went on. "I'm Caton! I'm a volunteer! You probably have never worked with a computer before, right? I can show you how!"

Judge muttered a "no" shortly, making it unclear as to whether he was saying he never worked with a computer, or he was refusing the boy's help.

This didn't seem to matter at all to Caton. He brightly explained what the different computer parts were called. Judge hardly paid attention; he was bored out of his wits. He thought cursing the boy would be amusing, but that would draw too much attention to him, and he couldn't afford that.

"So! What would you like to use the computer for?" asked Caton brightly, startling Judge out of his thoughts.

"Internet," he said reluctantly, grunting. "To search for something."

"Really! I know of some good sites, we could try Yahoo and Google! Here we are!" His fingers were poised, ready to type.

"Damn Mudblood... invalid... half-breed..." he muttered incoherently. He felt like leaving, Muggles were not going to get him anywhere. What was he thinking when he came? They didn't know anything.

Caton stared at him for a second, trying to piece together what he had just heard. Mud, blood, invalid, half, and breed. He thought that was what he had heard, but surely he could not be right. Blood… Maybe he was looking for different blood types. But what about that bit with the mud and invalid? Perhaps it was some kind of animal that liked mud. Maybe he had a disabled friend who liked them. Proud of his own brilliance, Caton typed in different blood types into the search. He did not seem to hit on anything that made sense, until he typed in "blood" and "disabled."

A page came up, showing mostly results with horses. 'Of course, horses like mud!' thought Caton. He wasn't into horses, but when he drove by one once, it was rolling in the mud and appeared to be enjoying himself. He and Judge scanned the page. The words "warmblood" and "disabled" were highlighted. The summary read: "...Linda, riding her Dutch Warmblood, introduces a new program geared towards disabled riders." Caton glanced at Judge, who appeared to be a bit impatient. His foot was tapping, and his fists were clenched. Caton shrugged and clicked on the link. A short article and a picture came up.

At first, Judge gave him an exasperated look, and was about to get up and leave because, clearly, he was not getting anywhere; but when he saw the picture, his expression changed dramatically. There sat the Mudblood, riding double with some blonde Muggle. After reading the article, he had Caton click another link to check the dates and locations of the tour, quickly finding the information he needed. 'All I have to do is get some Ministry officials, a portkey, and my job will be done!' Michael thought jubilantly. He shook, or more like crushed, the boy's hand, and hurriedly exited the library. He had a mission to fulfill.

* * *

Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley were all assembled in Dumbledore's office, discussing what to do about Remus and Hermione. To Mr. Weasley's knowledge, they had not been located yet. They, themselves, did not know even where to look.

"Let's put ourselves in Remus's position," suggested Dumbledore. "He wants to get as far away from the Ministry of Magic as possible. Yet, I think he'd stay in England, to keep tabs on things. I don't believe we'll be able to find them. I think it's better to investigate the strange happenings at the Ministry lately. The Minister of Magic has not been himself."

"What do you think is going on?" wondered Ron.

"I have my suspicions," Dumbledore said shortly. "I shall look into them further."

"But what can we do? We have to do _something_," insisted Harry.

Dumbledore looked at Harry intently. He knew very well, that if he did not give Harry something to do, he would likely go off and do something rash. 'Better to know what he is up to,' decided Dumbledore. 'Come to think of it, he could be quite useful.'

Dumbledore relented. "All right, Harry. You can come with me, and bring Ron and Ginny, and maybe a few trustworthy DA members."

"Where are we going?" asked Harry, exchanging triumphant smiles with his friends.

"To the Ministry of Magic, to pay a visit to certain people, and hopefully the Minister as well." Dumbledore shifted in his seat. "We'll go there in a few days, when I can get everything arranged." With that, the headmaster dismissed everyone except Mr. Weasley.

Harry had already decided what DA members he would invite, Luna and Neville. They had proven their loyalty and trustworthiness before at the Ministry, and he was sure they would not fail him now.

He first came across Luna Lovegood. They had found her in the library, reading.

"Hi Luna," started Harry.

"I'll ask her," said Ron suggested, blushing slightly.

Harry smiled impishly and nodded. He knew Ron had a thing for Luna.

Luna raised her eyes from her book, staring at them expectantly.

"We were wondering if you'd come to the Ministry of Magic with us and Dumbledore in a few days," announced Ron.

Luna continued staring at them intently, and then gave the barest of nods. "Yes." She paused. "You're rescuing the nargles, aren't you? I've read about it." She held up the latest publication of _The Quibbler_.

"We're going as a favor for Dumbledore. We can explain more later," Harry promised.

"Watch out," Luna responded, not seeming to take into account what Harry had just said. "Nargles bite."

"Okay," said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.

"Bye, Luna," said Ron. Harry and Ron left her to continue reading and searched around for Neville. They found him bent over, frantically searching for something on the ground.

"Lose something? Can we help?" Harry asked Neville.

"I've lost my Rememberall again. My Gran's going to _murder_ me," Neville moaned in frustration.

"_Accio_ Rememberall!" shouted Harry. It zipped out of the back pocket of Draco Malfoy, who had been nonchalantly walking away from them, and into Harry's hands. Harry, in turn, handed it back to Neville.

"Thanks, Harry," Neville said gratefully. "I never did master the Summoning Charm."

"No problem," Harry smiled, before looking at him seriously.

"We have a favor to ask, Neville," Ron said.

"Yes?"

"Will you come to the Ministry of Magic in a few days with me, Harry, Ginny, Luna, and Dumbledore?"

"Sure! But why?"

"Here, let's go to somewhere that's a little more private," Harry suggested, leading the way to the Room of Requirement. When they were safely inside, Harry began, and told him everything about Remus and Hermione and their current situation.

Neville felt a bit excited. Lupin was innocent of most of his charges! He felt certain that he could believe Harry, especially with Dumbledore involved and all. "I'll come with you, just let me know when," he said. He hoped it would be quite soon, or he would never remember. "I hope we can get to the bottom of it. We need Hermione back here."

"I know," said Harry sadly. "We should go back to the common room."

They walked out of the Room of Requirement. "I'm going to the owlery," announced Neville. He wanted to tell his grandmother about the latest development in Lupin's case. "See you later."

"See you," Harry and Ron echoed.

"I need to go to the library. I've got loads of homework," Ron stated gloomily. "I hope Hermione comes back soon, homework was so much easier with her around."

"Bye, Ron," said Harry, smiling to himself. He knew better. Ron was going to the library to be with Luna, not to do homework. Harry continued on his way, and once he reached the common room, sat down and pulled out his Charms book. He decided to get to his Charms homework first. He had an essay to write explaining the uses and origin of the Confundus Charm.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers: 

**_Radingsouls4u:_** You're right, I do. I'm a bit of a know-it-all when it comes to horses, like Hermione with her schoolwork, LOL! I'm thinking about becoming a horse trainer. Thanks, great to hear from you!

**_Rane2920072:_** Oh, yes, they're in big trouble now! You have a good weekend too, and cheers for you! (lots of exclaimation points!)

**_Amber Hermione:_** Glad you liked my reviews. Yeah, poor Remus, things aren't looking up for him. Michael seems to be getting the upper hand, but we shall see. :) Thanks for reviewing.

**_MoonyNZ:_** Wow, thanks MoonyNZ, that was a really long review! I love those. :) Ooo, you caught that, good eye. Yes, that has proven to be important! Hehe I'm going to have to agree with you about Remus. But, that's not what the Ministry wants. (that would be scary) Glad you liked the pancake bit. Thanks so much, again, for the long review!

**_Oddballout:_** You're in luck! I was able to get this out quickly. My beta was really fast! Glad I had you in suspense. ;) Thank you for the great review!

**_JTBJAB:_** Great to hear from you. Thanks for being such a faithful reviewer!

Preview of next chapter: _**"**Decided to take a break, sweetie, and help you," he said eagerly, pushing past her to get into the trailer. Linda, puzzled by his manner, followed him through the living room, where Pat paused. He stared at Remus and began to laugh in a rather disturbing fashion._

"_Are you sure you got enough sleep last night?" asked Linda. Yes, Pat was eccentric sometimes, but this was just odd. Something was very wrong._


	16. Framed

A/N: So sorry about the long wait! My work schedule has been crazy. Also, Jennyfish (you know who you are), if you ever stumble across this, yeah, it gets a bit much in this chapter, but I thought it was ok as long as I didn't get too detailed and portrayed it properly, right?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Framed**_

Remus woke up drearily, his face in the dirt. Last night was full moon. Fortunately, his plan on sealing himself in the indoor arena had gone without a hitch. However, it did not make the transformation any less painful. Remus rolled over and placed the Disfigurement charm on himself, hoping that would cover up some of the bruises. He struggled to a standing position and shuffled to a nearby mirror. Yes, with the Charm, it did cover up the more noticeable injuries of the night before, but it did not take away his exhaustion. He would be lucky to make it to the trailer. 'I'll just apparate,' he decided. With a _crack_ he found himself standing in the kitchen.

He stared around, his thoughts incoherent. He was so tired, he decided to ask Linda to make breakfast, he was sure she would. He picked up the strange Muggle object called a telly-tone and punched the number Linda had given him a while ago. Her bright voice answered, and she quickly agreed to come over. He hung up and dragged himself to the couch and laid down, promptly falling asleep.

Linda came in quietly and started making breakfast. She glanced at Remus, wondering what could be wrong with him. On the phone, he said he had the flu. 'An odd time of the year to get the flu,' she mused.

Before long, Linda heard someone pounding on the door. Linda strode over and opened it, surprised to see her husband. Was it just she, though, or was something strange about him this morning? She could sense immediately that something was off. 'I'll find out soon, I'll just see what happens,' she decided.

"Hello, dear," he said in a saccharine sweet voice.

Linda raised her eyebrows with an amused expression. "I thought you were with Casper. Usually you are with him at this time of morning."

"Decided to take a break, sweetie, and help you," he said eagerly, pushing past her to get into the trailer. Linda, puzzled by his manner, followed him through the living room, where Pat paused. He stared at Remus and began to laugh in a rather disturbing fashion.

"Are you sure you got enough sleep last night?" asked Linda. Yes, Pat was eccentric sometimes, but this was just odd. Something was very wrong.

"I feel quite chipper," he said enthusiastically. He practically skipped to the kitchen and helped her finish breakfast. He insisted on delivering the orange juice to Remus himself.

Remus opened his eyes tiredly. "Thanks," he whispered hoarsely. "Don't worry about Hermione. I'll see to her."

"You will, _won't _you?" Pat grinned before leaving, Linda following him a few minutes later.

Remus drank his orange juice slowly. It tasted quite odd. 'It was probably just a bad orange,' he decided. He suddenly felt a bit energetic. He jumped up and fed Hermione, feeling increasingly excited and strange.

He just finished with her breakfast when he heard the door of the trailer snap open, and shouting coming progressively closer.

"REMUS LUPIN, WE'VE GOT YOU CORNERED! SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!"

It was the Ministry. They had found him! What was he going to do? Remus, in a panic, grabbed Hermione's wand and his own, and portkeyed to the only place he could think of, Grimmauld Place, just as a Ministry official blew down Hermione's bedroom door. Who knew if the Ministry was watching it, but they had needed to escape to somewhere quickly.

They found themselves in the bedroom that Hermione had slept in previously. Remus set Hermione down on the bed, his face white and his body shaking. "That was close," he gasped. "I wonder how they found me."

He glanced around the room, and saw a small vial on the table with a note. He scrambled over to it, and read the note out loud, setting down their wands. It was Dumbledore's handwriting. "Here's something useful – Harry's blood." It wasn't signed or addressed to anyone. "Dumbledore must have guessed that we might come back," thought Remus nervously. "I bet the Ministry thinks the same, though. Here, let's do a transfusion." Remus magicked Harry's blood into her bloodstream. Hermione, grimacing, slowly came to life and stood up.

Remus found himself staring at her, the oddest feeling coming over him. He never remembered Hermione looking so beautiful, so – _desirable._ 'What am I thinking?' Remus firmly reprimanded himself. 'I have no reason to be feeling like this. I should stop right there. I'm probably going to be caught any moment. I have more important things to think about than how attractive Hermione is.'

"Remus, are you all right?" Hermione asked. She had never seen him look at her quite like that before, and she found herself blushing. 'Perhaps he is shaken up from what just happened.'

Her words almost sounded like a song to him, echoing in his mind. He desperately fought the urge to get closer to her and tried to clear his mind. "We should – be thinking – of where – to go," he said, concentrating very hard to get each word out.

"Remus," she said, stepping closer. "What's come over you?" This was not at all like he had acted last time he nearly got caught. Something had to be really wrong.

Remus screwed up his face in concentration, closing his eyes. He could feel every move she made. Her presence seemed to fill the room, blinding all his senses. Every sound she made was like music. He was consumed with desire to kiss her... and even more. 'No. I must control myself. We need to get out of here.'

"Don't," he gasped determinedly. "Just leave." He put his face in his hands.

'He looks like he is in pain,' thought Hermione. 'Probably from the full moon, and he doesn't want to tell me. Well, it needs to be attended to, whether he likes it or not!'

"You were hurt badly when you transformed, weren't you? Let me have a look." She marched, a bit wobbly, over to him with a no-nonsense look on her face. On her way, she noted that his Disfigurement charm had worn off. She was glad; she liked him better with his real looks.

With every step she took closer to him, his heart seemed to thud harder in his chest, and he started breathing harder. "Hermione. I'm not hurt. I don't know what has come over me. Please leave while you have the chance," he pleaded, his voice a bit higher than usual.

"Remus, I don't know what's bothering you, but we need to go before they find us here. They're likely to be watching this place. As soon as we're out, we can sort you out. All right?" she said gently. "Now please make a portkey, I can't."

Remus barely understood the meaning of her words. He was enjoying the sound of her voice too much. He could feel himself losing his mind completely, desire overcoming him. He clenched his hands tight, attempting to keep the last of his sanity.

Hermione stared at him, utterly bewildered. He certainly seemed to be in pain. Maybe he just didn't want to admit it. She closed the remaining distance between them, and whispered kindly, "I'm going to check you over. You don't have to play tough around me, Remus." She grabbed his wrist, about to pull up his sleeves to see if his arms got hurt.

When Hermione touched him, the last of his will disappeared. His hands left his face and he looked intensely into her eyes.

Hermione could smell his breath. It smelled familiar, like certain potions ingredients she recalled using in Potions class a long time ago. After a few minutes, she realized what was wrong. 'Lust potion. Someone slipped Lust potion in his breakfast! But how? Certainly the Paetons don't know how to brew it, they probably have never even heard of it. A wizard had to have done it.' Then it dawned on her. A wizard _had_ done it, hoping to get Remus to be improper with her, and then get caught in the act. That would explain why the Aurors had arrived when they had. Someone was trying to frame Remus, to give proof to add to the validity of his charges.

Hermione took a step back. She liked Remus, and wouldn't mind if he kissed her or something, but someone under the effects of Lust potion was not someone you wanted to joke with. He wouldn't be able to control himself once it took full effect. "Remus, it'll be okay. Someone gave you potion," she said slowly, backing away.

Remus strode towards her as she backed away, then she found herself trapped against the wall. "Remus, I'm going to leave now," she said, a hint of fear in her voice. She had never felt afraid of him in the least before. It was rather strange to feel it now, after all the times he had proven he was more than trustworthy. Remus's eyes were locked in her gaze, and she felt her face heat up.

She tried to leave, but Remus grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back against the wall. Hermione's heart beat faster and her breath came in short gasps. "Remus, what are you going to do?" She could feel the effects of Harry's blood slowly beginning to leave her. There hadn't been much there to begin with. The vial had been rather small. Before she could do anything else, though, Remus wrapped one arm around her waist, another around her neck, and kissed her.

Hermione, surprised, kissed him back, finding that she enjoyed it. At the same time, though, she wondered how long this was going to last, and if he was going to attempt to do anything more. Even at the best of times, Remus was stronger than her, and she was weakening every second. 'The poor man. When he regains his senses, he will be absolutely mortified.' She wished Dumbledore had left more blood; she could have been strong enough to pull away. It certainly did not look like Remus was going to let go anytime soon. Her wand had been left on the table, along with Remus's, quite out of reach, so magic wouldn't help her.

Remus's grip around her tightened, and he slowly began dragging her towards the bed. Hermione sagged against him, her mobility leaving. "Remus, come to your senses," she pleaded in a bare whisper, before her power of voice left her completely.

Just when he had reached the bed, the door snapped open.

"There they are! I've found them!" shouted a voice. The speaker muttered a spell that hit both Remus and herself. Hermione recognized it as a spell that would prevent them from Apparating or using a portkey, for a temporary amount of time. Hermione's heart sank, and tears blinded her eyes. Remus was caught. He was going to Azkaban, she was never going to see him again. And poor Remus would feel horribly guilty about losing control, even if it wasn't his fault, and there hadn't been anything he could have done. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her chest hitched a bit with sobs. Remus, however, continued to be oblivious to everything that was going on around him.

A bunch of Aurors trooped into the room and pulled Remus off of Hermione with a great deal of force. "Here, Finiker, and you, Johnson, take him to Azkaban," said a tall man, who appeared to be in charge. "Put him in a cell that had good strong walls. He's a werewolf and we don't want him breaking out. The Minister is going to be very pleased! If we're lucky, we might get the Order of Merlin, First Class!"

The pair nodded, grabbed Remus, and the trio portkeyed out in a rush of wind.

Hermione's eyes closed and her throat tightened so much that she couldn't breathe. Remus was gone, probably forever. She didn't even get to say a proper goodbye. She felt someone pick her up, and recognized the feeling of being portkeyed away.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:

Sorry for no personal replies, but I decided not to because of a couple good reasons, that you might be able to figure out after future chapters. Like JKR says, I don't want to incriminate myself, LOL! Also, I'll get this posted faster that way.

Many, many thanks to: **_JTBJAB, Morena-Forever, Amber Hermione, MoonyNZ _**(LOL, not quite, but you do seem to be getting the hang of how I try to hint at things), **_LupinLover99_** (double thanks for reviewing twice), **_Rane2920072, Oddballout, DogDemonLover1590._**

No thanks to: j0, who doesn't know the difference between inspiration and political agendas.

Preview of next chapter: _"But – she was interacting with us. She seemed to know we were here," objected Mr. Granger._

"_Reflexes," said Dr. Clint in a strained voice. "Just reflexes." He scratched his forehead and seemed to be quite puzzled about something._


	17. Things Get Worse

A/N: Sorry it's so sad, but I felt like I had to be realistic. Azkaban is supposed to be the most horrible place on earth.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Things Get Worse**_

Mrs. Granger sat on her daughter's bed, crying. It had been two months since her daughter had been kidnapped. She was more than likely dead by now. That Remus fellow sounded quite horrible. Mrs. Granger hated to contemplate what Hermione had gone through before she died, but it was all she had been able to think about since they were notified.

Mr. Granger softly entered the room and sat next to his wife, putting an arm around her and drawing her into a comfortable hug. He tried to be strong for her, but it was difficult when he himself was quite grieved. He had been so proud of his daughter. He could not believe she was gone.

The phone rang, startling them both. Mr. Granger picked up the phone, and winced when the person on the line began to shout.

"WE — HAVE — YOUR — DAUGHTER. SHE IS AT THE MINISTRY. YOU CAN COME AND SEE HER."

"Really? How is she?" he demanded eagerly. "I can hear you quite well, by the way, so please don't shout."

"Oh, good. These _telly_ things, I can't believe they work... She's had a bad experience, obviously, but she doesn't seem to be able to talk, so we don't really know how she is. She seems fine at the moment."

"We'll be right over," declared Mr. Granger, hanging up the phone, feeling elated. Hermione was alive! He turned to his wife. "Get in the car! Hermione's alive, and she's at the Ministry!"

Mrs. Granger eyes widened in disbelief, then her mood began to lighten. It seemed a bit unreal. How had Hermione managed to survive two months with that fellow? 'It hardly matters. All that matters is that she is alive!' She wiped her eyes and hurried outside to the car, where Mr. Granger was already in the driver's seat.

It seemed like ages until they arrived at the secret Ministry entrance. They climbed inside the telephone booth and soon arrived on the Ministry floor, where the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, waited for them.

"Greetings, lovely to see you! We have Hermione upstairs, resting. Remus has been sent to Azkaban, so no need to worry about him any longer. I have doctors coming to check on her. We have a little hospital unit here, for when we have high security patients," Fudge said. "I will take you there now, follow me." He grinned eagerly.

The Grangers thanked him and rode the elevator with him. Before long, they found themselves by Hermione's bedside. Mrs. Granger's eyes filled with tears of joy. "Hermione," she sobbed. "I've missed you so much! I've been so worried!"

"I'm glad you're safe," said Mr. Granger, voice thick with emotion. "And I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that monster is in Azkaban."

Mr. Granger was stunned to see Hermione close her eyes tightly and tears roll down her cheeks. His first impression was that she actually felt remorseful about what happened to Remus, but that certainly could not be true. Perhaps she was just remembering the trauma he put her through. "Hermione, it's going to be all right. He's gone now," Mr. Granger added softly.

This statement did not seem to relieve Hermione. If anything, it seemed to make her even more upset. Before they could do anything else, however, a doctor entered the room.

"Ah, Dr. Clint," said Fudge, who had been watching the scene. Mr. Granger noticed that Fudge's wand was out; he wondered why, but did not comment.

"The most acclaimed Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge," said Dr. Clint, bowing slightly with a dazed look on his face. "I am here to make the most accurate, expert, truthful examination possible in wizard-kind." He walked over to Hermione, making odd flicks with his wand, muttering, and seemingly made the examination. His seemed almost robotic. Hermione lay there, quite still and unresponsive.

"How is she?" asked Mrs. Granger after a few minutes, twisting her hands anxiously.

"Well, we have her on a respirator," he said. The lack of emotion in his voice was chilling. "She is not conscious." He blinked a bit, and didn't seem to be fully awake.

"But – she was interacting with us. She seemed to know we were here," objected Mr. Granger.

"Reflexes," said Dr. Clint in a strained voice. "Just reflexes." He scratched his forehead and seemed to be quite puzzled about something.

Mrs. Granger turned away, tears filling her eyes. Mr. Granger put an arm around her. They were going to lose their daughter, just as she had been brought back into their lives. This could not be true.

"Is there another doctor here? We'd like a second opinion," Mr. Granger demanded.

"Of course," said Fudge easily. "I understand. Dr. Clint, you may return to St. Mungo's now."

"Of course, your most reknowned Ministership," he said hazily. "Always a pleasure." He Apparated instantly.

A couple more doctors came in, and behaved and said the same things that Dr. Clint had said. The Grangers were devasted.

Fudge looked grave as well. "I hate to bring this up," he said slowly. "But when do you wish that we take her off of the respirator?"

"You can do it any time," said Mr. Granger, choked up. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to take my wife home."

"Of course, I understand. I'll have Percy take her body to a safer place. Quite overenthusiastic, that Weasley." A strange, almost plotting look flicked across his eyes, before it was quickly supressed.

The Grangers left. Fudge sent for Percy, who took Hermione to a different room. Fudge followed later and locked Hermione in the room. He smiled cheerfully. Everything was going well. Nobody would suspect a thing.

* * *

Hermione slowly opened her eyes, blinking as her eyes adjusted. She faintly remembered Dr. Clint knocking her out with a small "_Stupefy!_" She could not understand what was going on. Where were her parents? Why was she alone in this room?

She heard the door open, and twisted a bit over onto her side to see who it was. "The coast is clear. The Ministry is closed. Nobody will be able to rescue you," he chimed, his voice quite unlike Fudge's, hard and cruel. "I'm going to take you to a more secret place."

Hermione felt a surge of panic as Fudge picked her up roughly and carried her to the elevator. They stopped at the Department of Mysteries floor and entered it. He walked down the hall, opened a door, and then passed through several more doors before arriving at his destination. He dropped her roughly on the floor. "You're lucky I didn't give Fudge the Lust potion," he said, giggling, as if it were a very funny joke.

Hermione wriggled over to her side, to come face to face with – Fudge. She frowned in confusion.

"Oh no, I'm not the real Minister," said the supposed Minister of Magic. "I'm Michael Judge. That's the real Fudge you see there. He's been locked up here for quite some time. Goodbye," he waved cheerfully, slamming the door closed. They heard the clicks of many locks.

Silence filled the room. Hermione blinked back tears, thinking about Remus, the love she had lost forever. 'I'm in love with him,' she realized. After thinking it over, she decided she really should not be surprised. Who wouldn't fall in love with some like him, especially after all he had done for her. 'He wasn't too bad looking, either,' Hermione thought wistfully. A painful ache filled her chest; she wondered if she would ever recover from this.

"You're Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's friend, aren't you?" said the real Minister, breaking the silence.

Hermione managed a nod.

"I heard about what happened to you. Quite horrible," he said sympathetically. "I'm really sorry he managed to lock you up in here. Although, I must admit, it is nice to have company. All I've seen is Michael lately, for the past couple months, it seems. Don't know how long it's been. He only comes in here to force information out of me and give me enough food to keep me alive." He shifted Hermione to a more comfortable position, and prepared himself for some very long, mostly one-sided, conversations.

* * *

Remus awoke slowly to find himself in a dark room. He wearily stared around the room, wondering why he felt so horrible, and where he was. By the panicked feeling in his chest, he had a feeling he didn't want to know the answers.

But his memory wasn't merciful. It was a bit foggy, but he could remember kissing Hermione… and being caught, imprisoned. He put his head in his hands, feeling anguished. "I can't believe I did that to her. I must be in Azkaban," he whispered hoarsely in the still air.

Not a sound was to be heard. He could feel the deep gloom that choked the place, wringing all happiness from it. Remus made to pull his coat tighter around him, only to find it was missing. It was cold here. He wondered how Sirius was able to survive in Azkaban so long. Even these few minutes were horrible to endure. He found himself thinking of the events that happened when he was bitten... when people sneered at him because of his lycanthropy... how he felt when Sirius died... how he lost control when he was with Hermione. Remus couldn't remember feeling so embarrassed and mortified. If the Aurors hadn't come when they did... who knew what would have happened. Remus didn't like to contemplate the possibilities, but found himself unable to stray from the topic. The atmosphere of the prison was enough to chill him to the bone.

Remus's eyes grew blank as the happiness and hope was sucked out of him. Dementors. He slumped wearily against the wall. He didn't know how long he had slept – it didn't matter. He was going to be stuck here until he died. Dumbledore wouldn't be able to do anything. And Hermione would hate him forever. Who wouldn't, now?

He traced his name idly in the dirt. He wondered how long it would take until he died. It was probably going to be a long while, and be quite painful too. Speaking of pain, he hurt a bit from the full moon. He hadn't been able to tend to his injuries, being busy with Hermione and all. He still didn't know why he had lost control with her. He faintly remembered Hermione saying something about a potion, but it didn't make any sense. There hadn't been anyone, especially not a wizard, who would have had a chance to give it to him.

It had been him. He had done it. He had forced himself on Hermione. 'What a sickening thing to do, _especially_ when she's disabled. And she trusted me. How could have I taken advantage of her like that?' Maybe those werewolf haters were right. He was just an animal after all.

Remus felt tears blur his eyes. He stared, his mind numb and blank, at the opposite wall for what seemed like an eternity. 'It _will_ be an eternity,' he thought, sinking into a deep depression. 'I'm stuck here forever.'

* * *

Harry hurried along the hallway at Hogwarts, feeling an insane desire to laugh. He knew that somewhere, Voldemort was very happy about something. He would have to tell Dumbledore. He was on his way to the Headmaster's office anyway, for he had been summoned to come there. Harry spoke the password and soon arrived in front of Dumbledore's desk.

Dumbledore's face was lined and drawn. He appeared to be quite distressed about something. "Harry, please sit down," he said tiredly.

Harry sat down and waited expectantly, his heart sinking. He had a feeling that he was about to receive some very bad news. The other part of him continued to want to laugh. However, thanks to his Occlumency lessons, he was able to ward that feeling off.

"Harry, Remus has been captured, and he's now in Azkaban. Mr. Weasley's just told me. I'm not sure what happened to Hermione. The Minister claims she's dead, but I don't believe she is. We're going tomorrow to sort things out. Mr. Weasley has told them it is part of a school project to tour the Ministry, so that's what we will be doing. We will need to keep our heads and watch for anything suspicious. Come to my office after your classes, and bring Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. We'll go to the Ministry by portkey."

Harry felt like a bomb had been dropped. Remus was in Azkaban? Hermione was claimed to be dead? How in the world would they be able to fix that? It seemed impossible. Harry nodded, his throat too tight to speak, and he left the office.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:

**_DogDemonLover1590:_** I might have thanked you before...but anyhow, thanks again!

**_Zeldon:_** Always great to hear. Thanks for reviewing!

**_MoonyNZ:_** Yay! Bouncing is fun. I do that too when my favorite stories have been updated. And thanks for the bit about j0, I know I shouldn't get upset but I do, and you made me feel better. :) Great to hear from you, as always.

**_Sparkle714:_** I'm so sorry about the sad Remus in this chapter. Hopefully things will change in the next chapter, though. ;) I don't want you to cry! Thanks for the review.

**_Oddballout:_** I love your enthusiasm, thanks for sharing it. :)

**_Radingsouls4u:_** Hope you still have sanity left. :) We should be getting more answers in the next chapter. Glad to hear from you!

**_Morena-Forever:_** We shall see. :) Great to hear that you like it.

**_Paranoid Sarcasm:_** Thank you for reviewing four times! Hehe, yeah, I'm rather obssessed with Parelli, have been for three years. I guess it would be pretty obvious to anyone who knows Parelli who certain characters in this story was inspired from, LOL. :) Glad you like it as well, of course. We'll be seeing Pat and Linda one more time before the story is over. Yeah, I like Neville too. I know I shouldn't get upset at flamers (emotional fitness, LOL) and I can't help but feel upset initially, but I quickly get over it. I was excited to hear from you, a fellow Potter AND Parelli lover!

**_AmberHermione:_** You were right. :) Thanks for reviewing.

**_JTBJAB:_** Don't worry, I hate stories where favorite characters die (glares pointedly at JKR) and I won't write one like that. They're safe. :)

**_SpikesDreamer:_** Yes, they ARE annoying! Yeah, poor Remus, he's not having a very good time...although that seems to happen a lot in my stories...that will be remedied soon! Thank you so much for reviewing.

**_LupinLover99:_** I totally understand about the dial-up thing. I have that too, and it's the biggest pain. Triple thanks. ;)

**_dolface546:_** We shall see. So glad you hear you're loving my story!

**_GoodthingI'mimmortal:_** Thanks, that is always great to hear. :)

**_BlackPaintedWhite:_** Thank you for reviewing this story twice, and for reviewing MCOSGYTTM. My friend is allergic to cats too, but she is able to keep horses on her property, fortunately. She can't spend much time in a barn because of her allergies, so she just has a run in shed. I would hate to be allergic to animals! And with the music thing, I do the same thing! I like to listen for songs that would match up with my stories or ones that I have in mind. Glad you like my names to my stories, I put a lot of thought into them and try to make them odd so they stand out, LOL. Yes, ditto on the SW thing, I'm a huge fan, I have been all my life! Right now, I'm totally obssessed with the Force Bond series by KittandChips, she's a really good writer. You can find that and other good ones in my Favorites section. If you decide to read it be sure to read her series of stories on her website in between 2 and 3. I love Episode 3 and I do plan on buying all six too! And as far as Episode 7 goes, I've been trying to ressurect it for years. I've come up with some more ideas but I'm not sure if I'll go through with them. Yeah, that's pretty much the image I got too when I first heard the phrase from my friend, LOL. So great to hear from you, I loved your reviews!

**_Solsanches:_** Thanks for reviewing twice! Don't worry, this story is not going to be abandoned. It's already finished, it just needs to be beta read. Only three more chapters to go, unfortunately. Thank you again!

Preview of next chapter: _Harry was a bit surprised. The Minister was a busy man, and he had not been so considerate to him. At least recently. However, it would be a great opportunity to find out information about Hermione. "Yeah, that'd be great," said Harry enthusiastically._


	18. Mayhem at the Ministry

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Mayhem at the Ministry**_

Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna portkeyed to the Ministry of Magic right after classes had finished for the day. Mr. Weasley was in the appointed spot, waiting for them.

"Hello, everyone! Let's pair up, shall we?" He lowered his voice. "We'll be able to find out more that way." He spoke normally again. "Ron, and Ginny, you know this place quite well, so you can go together with Neville. Dumbledore will take Luna and I'll take Harry."

They split up in their three respective groups after registering their wands. Harry and Mr. Weasley headed for the elevator. "Let's go to my office, so I can check how things are going," suggested Mr. Weasley. Harry nodded and followed him to his 'Misuse of Muggle Artifacts' office.

"You can wait outside, if you like, Harry," said Mr. Weasley. "Someone's here to see me." Harry nodded. Mr. Weasley entered his office and closed the door.

Harry looked around, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. Except, the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, was headed his way with a huge smile on his face. 'Great!' thought Harry hopefully. 'I might be able to find out something from him!'

"Harry Potter! Always a pleasure!" Fudge greeted him with his hand outstretched.

"Hello, Minister," said Harry pleasantly, shaking his hand.

Fudge stared at him a second, and glanced at the closed door of Mr. Weasley's office, seeming to be deep in thought. "How about some tea in my office while you wait for Mr. Weasley, Harry? We can catch up on old times."

Harry was a bit surprised. The Minister was a busy man, and he had not been so considerate to him. At least recently. However, it would be a great opportunity to find out information about Hermione. "Yeah, that'd be great," said Harry enthusiastically.

The pair strode to the Minister's office, which was close by. Harry watched as the Minister poured two cups of tea, with his back turned towards Harry. He carried a tray with the cups on them over to Harry and smiled broadly. He set it down on the table and immediately grabbed his own cup, sipping it. "So, Harry, how's school coming?"

"Great, thanks," said Harry. 'Would be much better if Hermione was there.'

Harry wasted no time. "So what exactly has happened to Hermione?"

"Oh, yes, she was your friend, wasn't she," mused Fudge. "Have some tea, Harry, I haven't poisoned it."

Fudge was watching him with the oddest, almost expectant, look on his face. Harry hesitantly reached for the cup. As soon as he touched it, he felt the unmistakable feeling of being transported by portkey.

In a rush of wind, Harry felt himself land in a small room. The cup fell to the floor and tipped over, its contents spilling everywhere. He took a look at his surroundings, and had quite a shock. There stood Fudge, in front of him. And on the ground was Hermione.

"You! You've been hiding her here!" shouted Harry, enraged. He assumed that Fudge had portkeyed or Apparated along with him. "You've been saying she's dead!"

"Harry, I'm the real Minister. You must be thinking of Michael Judge, the fellow who has been using the Polyjuice potion to masquerade around as me," said Fudge calmly. "If you don't believe me, ask Hermione."

"Hermione!" Harry said. "We've all been so worried about you! Dumbledore, Mr. Weasley, Ron, Luna, Ginny, and Neville are all here looking for you." And then, after a moment, "Is Fudge telling the truth?"

Hermione winked in affirmation. "Oh, that's right," said Harry. He grabbed both of her hands. Hermione slowly came to life and shakily stood up, with Harry's help.

"Thanks, Harry," she said softly.

Fudge stared at them with a wide-eyed expression. "Quite remarkable!" he exclaimed.

"Harry, do you have your wand? We need to get out of here!" cried Hermione. "We need to free the Minister and go to my parents to get them to stop suing Remus. We have to get him out of Azkaban!"

Harry began frantically searching his pockets.

Fudge looked at her, puzzled. "Why would you want him out of Azkaban? Didn't he—"

"It's not true," Hermione interrupted. "All those nasty things they said about him! The only law he has broken was when he took me out of the hospital without the doctor's permission! He's been really heroic, he _definitely_ does not belong in Azkaban," said Hermione desperately. She hoped that when the Minister was free, he would be able to pardon Remus.

"I can't find my wand!" said Harry. "Judge must have taken it from me when I wasn't looking."

"Oh, no," groaned Hermione. "We're stuck here."

"They'll come looking for me, though," said Harry. "They know I'm in the Ministry somewhere. I was supposed to be right outside Mr. Weasley's office. That's when Judge came along and invited me to his office for tea." He pointed to the cup. "That's how I got here. He made it into a portkey."

"Oh, dear," said Fudge. "So, what really did happen with Remus? How did you get into your current state? Why can you move when Harry touches you?"

Harry and Hermione took turns explaining the events of the past few months, passing the time while hoping to be rescued. They even debated attacking Judge the next time he came to check up on them. Between the three of them, they might be successful!

* * *

Michael Judge waited patiently in his office. Soon enough, he'd be able to set his plan into motion, further damaging the Order of Phoenix. If he was lucky, he might land more of them in Azkaban along with the werewolf.

Soon enough, he heard voices. He recognized one of them as Dumbledore's. He pasted a fake look of concern on his face, and walked out into the hall. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"We cannot find Harry Potter. He has gone missing," said Dumbledore, eyeing the Minister shrewdly.

"Oh, we can't have that," said Judge, feigning worry. "Where did you last see him?"

Mr. Weasley spoke up. "He was supposed to be waiting outside my office. When I came out, I noticed him missing."

Michael Judge gave Mr. Weasley a long, hard, measuring look. "I see..." he said doubtfully. He took a deep breath. "You Weasleys have been acting awfully suspicious lately. When I left Hermione's body in your son Percy's charge, it went missing. And now, when Harry was left in your charge, he's gone missing, too." Michael took a menacing step towards Mr. Weasley's stunned face. "You've been plotting against Harry and his faithful friend, Hermione, since the very beginning! Didn't your son, Ron, try to kill Harry in their second year by crashing into the Whomping Willow? And your daughter, Ginny, attempted to resurrect You-Know-Who and nearly killed Harry, as well as Hermione! Your whole family, no doubt, has been secretly allied to You-Know-Who for years, trying to kill Harry and anyone who would help him."

The Weasleys looked too stunned to speak.

Luna stared at him with big, luminous eyes. "Did you know that nargles can pretend to be friendly when they really mean to bite you?"

Michael barely gave her a thought, and turned to Dumbledore.

"I think you are gravely mistaken about the Weasleys, Minister Fudge," said Dumbledore, glancing at Luna. "They have proven to be more than trustworthy over the years. I'm sure those things were purely accidental, and those previous occasions has already been dealt with. No reason to bring it up again." Dumbledore gave him a hard, penetrating look.

"He's right!" exclaimed Ginny indignantly, who still had guilty feelings about her ordeal in her first year. "We would never side with You-Know-Who!"

"One moment, if you will, Minister," said Dumbledore calmly, taking Neville aside and scribbling something on a piece of paper. He gave it to Neville, and whispered so quietly even Neville could barely hear him. "Take this to Snape. Here's my handkerchief. It will take you to Hogwarts when you walk out of sight down the hall."

Neville strode down the hall and carried out Dumbledore's wishes. Michael watched him suspiciously, but didn't comment. "Despite what you say, Dumbledore, I still think it is necessary to launch an investigation of the Weasleys."

"But, Minister," objected Mr. Weasley. "We've been upstanding Ministry members from the beginning. You know that!"

Ron felt oddly alone without Harry or Hermione there. He had never faced anything like this without them. In fact, he didn't think he'd faced anything like this before at all. "You can ask anyone you like, Minister, and they'll tell you I've been Harry's best friend since we started at Hogwarts! I would never harm Harry, or Hermione!"

"What else would you suggest, then, if Harry hasn't turned up?" said Michael nastily, his fake presumptive air gone. "Everything points to your family."

"Nargles, you know, aren't _really_ what they_ make themselves out to be_," said Luna edgily, shifting her imploring gaze to Dumbledore. "They like to fake their appearance."

"Yes, Miss Lovegood," said Dumbledore, pretending to brush her comment off, but gave her a tiny wink. Noting Fudge's odd expression as he finally took notice of Luna, Dumbledore explained, "She likes to tell people about what she has learned in _The Quibbler_. Her father is the editor, you know."

"Really?" said Michael, his brow furrowed suspiciously. It almost seemed like the strange girl was onto him. But how could she have possibly found out? It didn't seem very likely. "Anyway, I shall call a search for Harry. You can find me in my office if you need me." He entered his office, evidently to contact other Ministry officials. A search was made of the Ministry by several officials for a half hour, before declaring that Harry could not possibly be on the premises, unless he was in the Department of Mysteries, which he couldn't have possibly entered without being seen.

After the search was complete, Michael approached Dumbledore again. "I am going to order an investigation into the Weasley family," he declared.

"Very well, Minister," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "But first, will you join me for a conference in my office at Hogwarts? I have some tea for you. We could discuss proceedings."

Michael couldn't believe his luck. A conference in Dumbledore's office? The things he could find out for the Dark Lord! "I shall gladly accept, Dumbledore. You are most kind," he agreed, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Here, I've got a portkey," said Dumbledore. He held out one of Dobby's socks (flaming pink with lime green half moons) and Michael grabbed hold of it. They landed softly in Dumbledore's office. "Have a seat," invited Dumbledore, sitting down himself.

Michael sat down and took a good look around the office, noting everything he saw. Just then, he saw Severus Snape enter the office with two cups of tea, a snide look on his face.

"I have more tea, if it is needed, Headmaster," he said, giving his headmaster a meaningful look.

"Thank you, Severus," said Dumbledore, sipping the cup that was given to him.

Michael drank his own mug quickly, continuing to glance eagerly around the room.

"So, who are you really?" asked Dumbledore casually. Snape, if he'd followed his orders, had given Fudge Veritaserum.

"Michael Judge," said Michael, a glazed look forming in his eyes.

"How did you get to the Minister without anyone noticing?"

"I took some essence of Lucius Malfoy, which he lent me, and had a meeting with Cornelius right before he was to go home, when not many people were around. He thought I was Lucius, about to make a generous donation. I knocked him right out, added his hair to an already prepared Polyjuice potion, and took it, stuffing him in a closet. When no one else was around, I found a secluded room to hide him in."

"Where did you put Harry, Hermione, and Cornelius?"

"In a private room in the Department of Mysteries."

"How did you find out that Hermione and Remus were at Grimmauld Place?"

"Voldemort looked through Harry's eyes and saw it. He heard the name, and surmised where it was. I, as Minister, ordered a raid on the place."

"Where did Hermione and Remus go after that, and how did you find out?"

"They ended up at a farm of sorts, and the Muggles there gave the werewolf a job with them. That blond Muggle gave Hermione therapy. I saw pictures of Hermione on the Muggle Internet, and figured out where they were."

"You also ordered a watch on Grimmauld Place, did you not?"

"Yes."

Dumbledore thought of the report he had heard of Remus's behavior when he had been caught. "You also slipped Remus some form of potion?"

"Yes. I got Pat Paeton on a roll talking about one of his horses and picked one of his hairs off his shirt. Quite a feat, when he was already covered in horsehair, if I do say so myself. Added it to some Polyjuice, and slipped some Lust potion into the werewolf's orange juice. I wanted to be sure he was taken to Azkaban right away. I couldn't have him being his normal, sickeningly polite self, casting doubt as to whether he was really guilty of all his charges."

"Naturally, naturally," commented Dumbledore. "Are you still thirsty?"

"Yes," replied Michael.

"Would you like some more tea?" Dumbledore asked, beckoning Snape forward.

"Very much so," said Michael greedily. He snatched the cup from Snape, gulping it down. Odd changes consumed his features. Within moments, he was back as Michael Judge.

Dumbledore extracted the exact location of the room holding Harry, Hermione, and Cornelius from Michael, before taking him with him back to the Ministry. People around them gasped in shock to see the infamous Death Eater and the Headmaster of Hogwarts suddenly appearing in the hallway. Dumbledore got some Unspeakables to retrieve Harry, Hermione, and Fudge out of their room, and had several Aurors restrain Michael.

The real Fudge, Harry, and Hermione soon joined them. Harry and Hermione were holding hands tightly.

"How are you?" inquired Dumbledore.

'Not too horrible, considering I've been imprisoned by a madman for two months," said Fudge wearily.

"Much better now, thanks," said Harry.

Hermione gave a strained smile. She was thinking about Remus suffering in Azkaban. No, she was not fine, as long as he was stuck there. "What are we going to do about Remus? Minister, please, couldn't you grant him a trial?"

"Considering the state of things, I don't see why not," said Fudge reluctantly. He knew it would prove to be a controversial decision, and his desk would probably burn down from all the Howlers he'd receive because of it. "I'll send for him. He'll be tried by the whole Wizengamot. I'll try to schedule it for the next couple of days."

"Thank you, Minister, you won't regret it," said Hermione fervently.

"Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have a trollish amount of work to do," said Fudge, leaving them.

"What should we do now?" wondered Harry, still clutching Hermione's hand.

"I think we need to gather witnesses for Remus's defense. Also, Hermione, if you can get your parents to end their suit against him that would help, too. I could portkey you and Harry to your house. Here, so you won't have to cling to each other—" Dumbledore performed a blood transfusion and handed Harry and Hermione their wands. "I have Remus's as well," he said, patting his pocket. "Here's the portkey."

Harry and Hermione reached for the sock, which obviously had belonged to Dobby (bright orange with red rectangles that resembled books), preparing for the task to come.

* * *

Replies to Reviewers:

Wow, I've lots of great reviews, thanks everyone! I now have the final chapters back from the beta. However, I'm going on a trip super early tomorrow, and it's late so I'm in a hurry. So I'm posting this now, and I'll add review replies to the final two chapters. So, this story will be completely posted sometime next week.

Preview of next chapter: _Hermione was taken aback at how awful Remus looked. He hadn't been in Azkaban very long, perhaps a week at most, but it seemed to have a very negative effect on him. He had a blank, haunted look in his eyes, and didn't meet anyone's gaze. Physically, he looked like one good hex would do him in. The officials escorted him to his seat, and took their own behind him. Remus stared at a particularly interesting crack in the floor._


	19. The Trial

A/N: I have only a very vague idea of how trials are run, so it's probably not very accurate. Also, I apologize for the very long delay in updating. You all deserve some sort of explanation! I've been working 30+ hours a week, hanging out with my horse a lot since this is the best time of year for it, preparing and participating in my sister's wedding, preparing for and getting my driver's license, etc. And yes, I've been lazy. Need to work on that! I did have a fun trip, too. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**The Trial**_

The day of Remus's trial soon arrived. It had been decided that he and Michael would be tried at the same time, as their cases were closely related. Hosts of people were there, and more still were arriving at the Ministry of Magic's trial room.

Hermione seated herself next to the chair where Remus would sit. Fudge had told her he had been retrieved from Azkaban, but she wasn't allowed to see him until the trial. Hermione tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for him to be brought in. Harry sat next to her, looking equally impatient. Ron sat beside him, and then Luna, then Neville and his grandmother, who had agreed to come as a witness. Dumbledore sat on the other side of where Remus was to sit, then, after two empty seats, were Snape, McGonagall, and a variety of other people from Hogwarts.

Hermione wondered who the two empty seats were for. She did not have to wonder long. Pat and Linda Paeton gingerly stepped into the room, looking utterly bewildered. Pat less so, he soon recovered, and strode over to Dumbledore, and proceeded to shake everybody's hands. Linda walked over with Pat and stared at Hermione in shock. She walked up to her. "You're all better!" she managed.

"Er, yes," said Hermione, not sure how to explain her sudden recovery from her supposed paralysis.

"Brilliant, what kind of therapy are you on?" Linda asked.

"Er," Hermione started, but just then, two Ministry officials, interrupting them, led Remus into the room. Linda and Pat sat down and continued to stare at the odd things about the room.

Hermione was taken aback at how awful Remus looked. He hadn't been in Azkaban very long, perhaps a week at most, but it seemed to have a very negative effect on him. He had a blank, haunted look in his eyes, and didn't meet anyone's gaze. Physically, he looked like one good hex would do him in. The officials escorted him to his seat, and took their own behind him. Remus stared at a particularly interesting crack in the floor.

Harry and Hermione exchanged concerned glances. Hermione wanted to tell Remus how much she missed him, but he looked like he did not want to talk to anyone, or be there at all. Even Dumbledore didn't attempt to make conversation. He was too busy talking to the Paetons, trying to keep them distracted and not asking questions about all the odd things they saw. Linda attempted to make conversation with Snape, complimenting his hairstyle and choice of wardrobe – black was the latest fashion, after all – but Snape didn't seem to appreciate it. He was in an extremely foul mood, even for his standards.

Fudge stood in front of everyone and cleared his throat, gaining everybody's attention. "Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming. I trust you all know what this trial is about. Now, for the defense of Remus Lupin, are Pat and Linda Paeton."

"Do you have a mike? I don't like to shout," said Pat. Fudge handed him one that had been magically made to magnify his voice. It had been arranged beforehand, so the Paetons wouldn't get suspicious.

"Well, I personally never saw anything to complain about with Remus. He was always very polite when he worked for me, and got along with quite well with everyone. Whenever I saw him, Hermione was usually with him, and he seemed genuinely concerned for her welfare, to the point of forgetting his own. He looked a bit ill when I first saw him, and then seemed to get ill right before he left. I personally never saw him do anything suspicious. I was satisfied with his work, and especially how quickly he got it done."

Now it was Linda's turn. "I saw him more than Pat, and I have to say that I agree with him on everything. I find it really hard to believe that he would do the things he has been accused of; it's not in his nature. We were around him for quite a bit this past month, and he lived in one of our trailers. I found no weapons of any kind in there." She paused, quickly reflecting on how she'd tried to heat his cutting board up, but it didn't seem to work. 'How interesting.'

"Do you have any questions? We've got to run, Pat's going to do a performance for the queen."

The Wizengamot, however, wanted Pat and Linda out of there as quickly as possible, so they remained silent. Pat and Linda exited the room, ushered out by a Ministry official.

"Next for the defense of Remus Lupin, is Professor Severus Snape," announced Fudge.

Severus looked like he would rather eat a whole gallon of wriggling worms than say something positive about Remus. Dumbledore had persuaded him to say a few words, however, so he took the stand. "I have never seen Remus Lupin do anything – objectionable – in my year of working with him," he said, choking on his words. He sighed painfully. "I – can't imagine – him doing the more severe charges." Snape gave his seat a longing look. "Any questions?" he added reluctantly.

"You've never seen him take an inappropriate interest in Miss Granger, or any of the other female students?" asked a Wizengamot member.

Snape's face twisted into a snarl. He knew Dumbledore was watching him, though. "No." No one else asked him questions, a bit taken aback by his demeanor. He almost stomped towards his seat, quite glad that was over and infuriated that he had to do it in the first place.

A few more teachers, including McGonagall, stepped up and answered questions in Remus's favor. Remus looked less tense (Hermione swore she saw the ghost of a smile when Snape defended him) but still didn't lift his eyes from the crack on the floor.

Next was Neville's grandmother, who volunteered to come when she heard about the trial. She strode up there with a no-nonsense air, vulture hat and all. "I can't believe none of you took my owls seriously! When I read the Daily Prophet article I was most disgusted! Even when I visited the Ministry officials to tell them the truth, they showed me to the door like I didn't know what I was talking about! This is blatant injustice. I didn't see Remus do one shred of violence or _anything_ objectionable, for that matter. I was there, in the hospital, visiting my son and daughter-in-law when I saw him. I don't know what happened in the hospital room with Hermione, but I must say, it's the _Daily Prophet_ that needs looking into, not Remus Lupin, in my opinion!" Many other people took the stand in Remus's defense, giving convincing evidence of his good character.

Now it was Hermione's turn. Harry gave her a thumbs-up, and her parents smiled encouragingly. Her parents had agreed to drop the charges against Remus after Hermione talked to them a couple days ago. Hermione looked at Remus. He was picking at the edge of his armrest, even though it was made of metal. His eyes held a glassy expression, and his face turned red as he felt Hermione's gaze on him and realized what was coming. They were probably going to discuss his behavior when he had been caught. Remus didn't know if he could stand it.

Hermione tenatively cleared her throat, and her gaze shifted frequently between the Wizengamot and Remus. "I don't believe Remus is a criminal," she started nervously. "He took me from the hospital because he wanted to save my life. From then on, he's shown every consideration towards me," she continued passionately. "I have no complaint to make against him." She bit her lip.

A Wizengamot member spoke up. "When they Aurors captured him, they reported that he was touching you, er, inappropriately. What do you have to say about that?"

"Someone slipped Lust potion into his drink!" said Hermione. "I smelled it on his breath! He wasn't in control of himself. I'm not going to blame him for something he couldn't control," Hermione said firmly, a bit red in the face.

No one had any more questions. "Now, Remus, do you have anything to say for yourself?" asked Fudge.

Remus froze and raised his gaze to meet Fudge's. He could feel everyone looking at him. Remus didn't feel like talking at all. He had only been out of Azkaban for a few hours, and could still feel its haunting effects. Yet, he felt he had to say something, at least to the people who were defending him. Remus nodded slowly and shuffled to the stand. "I would like to thank everyone who defended me today: Mr. and Mrs. Paeton, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Ny – er, Tonks, Mrs. Longbottom, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and – Miss Granger," he said stiffly. "I'm deeply grateful that you all came on my behalf."

Hermione noticed that he was avoiding eye contact with her. She wondered why. He didn't feel guilty about what had happened, did he? It wasn't his fault.

Remus hurriedly returned to his seat. Dumbledore gave him a reassuring smile. Remus gave a small smile back and resumed staring at that same very interesting crack.

Next were heard a few witnesses against Remus. Dr. Clint, one of the Aurors who had caught him, and someone from the _Daily Prophet_ who claimed to see him in the hospital. More witnesses came to testify against Michael Judge, including the Minister himself.

Michael Judge slumped in his seat through the whole discourse. He'd failed. Voldemort would likely view him as completely useless, and wouldn't rescue him from Azkaban again. He was doomed. So much for immortality.

A tense air filled the hall as the Wizengamot debated their final decision. As they waited, Hermione reached over to Remus and gave his hand a squeeze. "It's going to be okay, I just know it, Remus. I've really missed you."

Remus met her gaze for the first time that morning, and smiled. "Thank you, Hermione." He looked away and began watching the Wizengamot discuss his case.

The Minister seemed to be arguing intensely about something. Finally Fudge stood up, and took the stand to announce the verdict. "We have found Michael Judge guilty of all charges. He is to be sent immediately into a high security cell in Azkaban." There was a murmur of assent. "Also, we have found Remus Lupin guilty of forcibly removing a patient from the hospital, threatening Dr. Clint, and failing to surrender to Ministry officials. I will give Remus a choice, either a year in Azkaban, or a fine of 1,000 galleons."

The choice was easy. He would rather be penniless for the rest of his life than go back to that horrible place. "I'll take the fine," Remus called out hoarsely. He wondered how he would ever pay it. Sirius had left him some money, and perhaps he could sell Grimmauld Place. But he wouldn't have a job. How would he survive?

The worry must have shown in his face. Dumbledore leaned over and whispered, "We'll work something out, Remus."

Remus gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Albus," he said. The trial ended. Mr. and Mrs. Granger approached him, curious looks on their faces. They introduced themselves as David and Emma, and shook his hand.

"Thank you for saving our daughter," said Emma tearfully. "If it hadn't been for you—"

"— We've been so worried about her," broke in David. "Thank you for taking such good care of her."

Remus felt embarrassed and quite self-conscious. 'So these are Hermione's parents. Oh, please, I can't get ideas now,' he berated himself. "It was nothing," he answered awkwardly. "Nice to meet you."

"Here, Remus," said Dumbledore. "Why don't you come to my office? We have many things to discuss."

"Yes, of course, Albus," said Remus. They both took a portkey and disappeared.

Hermione watched him go in disappointment. She had really wanted to talk to him. He, on the other hand, seemed eager to avoid her. Hermione felt herself well up with hurt. Didn't he love her? He seemed to, at least before today. Did he hate her because he ended up in Azkaban? Hermione couldn't bear the thought.

Her mom noticed Hermione's look, and she exchanged glances with her husband. Clearly, some deep feelings were brewing between Hermione and Remus Lupin. He was hardly the man they had envisioned for their daughter. Not only was he a wizard, he was a werewolf, and nearly as old as themselves. But, he had already proven how far he was willing to go for Hermione, so they felt more lenient towards him. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if they got together.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Authors aren't allowed to reply to reviewers any more. I think that really sucks. Although I support the rest of fanfiction's rules, this one is stupid! Isn't interaction with the reviewers and sharing your idea with the world the two main points of bothering to post it at all? Anyway, I love you guys! You're the best, your reviews make my day! (If I get in trouble for that, that's REALLY stupid!)

Preview of next chapter: _Madam Pomfrey helped Hermione through her first therapy session that night. It didn't go well. Hermione had made little progress. She couldn't feel a proper 'life' emotion when she felt so upset about Remus. Or rather, the lack of Remus. It stunted any feeling of excitement she could conjur. Where was he?_


	20. Return to Hogwarts

A/N: This is the final chapter. Not sure if/when there will be a new story. If not sooner, it will be during the wintertime when I'll have more time for it. I like the idea of adding review replies on a different site. I'm thinking Live Journal, maybe (since I'm pretty sure I know how to set it up). If/when I do a new story, I will do that. You guys totally rock! And thanks Le Grimoire for beta-ing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Return to Hogwarts

There was a big party in the Griffindor common room the night Hermione returned to Hogwarts. Ron, and especially Harry, stuck to her like glue the entire time. Hermione felt great delight to be back to the wonderful place. She couldn't wait to catch up on all her homework.

Dobby, at Harry's request, had baked a cake with "Welcome Back, Hermione!" on it. Dobby had also made socks for Hermione. One had a red Phoenix on a blue background, the other sported a gold letter "H" with a green backdrop. Hermione made a mental note to thank him later.

Luna, it turned out, was a pretty good artist, so she'd made decorations for the common room in the Griffindor colors of red and gold, and made banners with pictures of Hermione on them. Being in Ravenclaw, though, she was unable to be present for the party. Ginny had gotten some small fireworks from her brothers and set them off.

It was the first time Hermione had been the sole source of attention at the school. She rather enjoyed it, but wished she had more time for her homework. People passing her in the halls over the next few days talked about what had happened to her, and asked her how her therapy was coming. Her answer was always the same: Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey were looking into it, and in the meantime, she was fine.

Or was she? Hermione thought of Remus constantly; her massive pile of homework couldn't push him from her mind for very long. She wondered where he was. She'd heard no news of him for the past few days since the trial. Hermione blinked back tears of mounting hurt and frustration. It was like he didn't care about her. She'd just been tossed aside by him, abandoned. How could he do that, after what they'd been through together? Couldn't he at least send her a note, saying how he was faring?

Harry sat down next to her as she scribbled away at her Transfiguration essay. "Has Madam Pomfrey come up with a good method of therapy for you yet?" he asked.

"No," she answered in a clipped tone. "She said she might get with me tomorrow."

Harry could see she wasn't happy about something. He wondered if he'd dare ask her what was wrong. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her rants. "Er - Hermione? Anything bothering you?"

"No." Then she sighed. "Yes. Have you heard from Remus lately?"

"No, I haven't," said Harry. He frowned a bit. "That is a bit strange. You'd think, after what happened - "

"He'd say something!" finished Hermione irritably. "You'd think he could just spare a moment to send an owl! _Honestly._ What's gotten into him?"

"Why don't you send him one?" asked Harry, who thought the answer was really quite simple. He didn't see why Hermione was getting so upset over this.

Unfortunately, this seemed to really ruffle Hermione's feathers. "No, I'm not, that's not the point," she said stubbornly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish my essay."

Harry left her alone after that, hoping she'd cheer up when Madam Pomfrey came up with a good method of therapy for her. He, too, wondered where Remus had gone. Had he managed to miraculously come up with enough money to pay the fine? What would happen if he couldn't?

The next day, Hermione sat on a bed in the hospital wing, awaiting Madam Pomfrey. To her surprise, Dumbledore came instead. "Madam Pomfrey is busy with a bunch of first years who had an unfortunate incident with Peeves," he explained. "So I'll tell you what we're going to try."

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore,"said Hermione, waiting expectantly. Surely, anything that Dumbledore came up with would work.

"On the day of the trial, I asked Linda what she'd been doing with you therapy wise, and the interesting subject of the 'life' emotion was brought up. Of course, it was just a passing comment, she didn't seem to think that helped you at all. On the contrary, I think it will be worth pursuing. Our personal magic is connected closely with our emotions. Perhaps, if you concentrated on the 'life' emotion, it would rally your system to come to life, and operate without Harry's help. Madam Pomfrey has also suggested that a bone marrow transplant would lengthen the amount of time Harry's magic would help you."

"You're right, Professor. Come to think of it, that did seem to be the one thing that really help me make some improvements." She paused, thinking. "How should I proceed?"

"It needs to be done when Harry's help has worn off. I will have you come here, perhaps, a different location at times, under supervision, every night and practice feeling an intensely powerful 'life' emotion." He looked at her shrewdly, and when he opened his mouth to continue, the hospital door crashed open.

Snape towered in the doorway, looking downright dangerous, his eyes glittering with fury. He marched over to Dumbledore, his hands clenching and unclenching, barely able to control his temper. "Dumbledore! What is the _meaning_ of this outrage?" he hissed. "McGonagall's just told me -"

"Severus! Would you _please_ take this outside the hospital wing? Can't you see my patients need peace and quiet?" demaded Madam Pomfrey, striding towards him.

Snape glared at her for a second, then turned back to Dumbledore.

"You heard Madam Pomfrey," said Dumbledore quietly. "Let's take this somewhere else."

The two of them strode out of the room. Hermione could hear Snape ranting as he left, "After all those years I waited! How could you shove me aside for a _criminal_! You won't hear the end of this from disappointed parents, I assure you, it's most unwise..."

Madam Pomfrey helped Hermione through her first therapy session that night, which didn't go well. Hermione made little progress. She couldn't feel a proper 'life' emotion when she felt so upset about Remus. Or rather, the lack of Remus. It stunted any feeling of excitement she could conjur. Where was he?

When Hermione walked into her Defense Against the Dark Arts class the next day, she, along with the rest of the class, received a huge shock. Lupin sat there at the desk, when they had been dreading Snape being there. Hermione stopped at the sight of him, her eyes widening. Had Dumbledore reinstated him as the professor of this class? She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. He wasn't looking at her. He knew this was her class. He wasn't looking up from his desk. He was ignoring her, just like he had been for the past several days. Hermione frowned angrily and sat in a desk near the back. Harry and Ron, a bit surprised at her unusual behavior, took their places beside her.

"Hello, class," said Remus, standing up. "I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the rest of the year. Dumbledore has kindly reinstated me to this post. Now, let's begin." He scanned the desks for Hermione, trying to look casual. He noticed her near the back. 'Not surprising, considering,' he thought, not bothering to finish his sentence and feeling quite deflated. He tried to shrug it off, continuing on with the lesson, but he seemed to lose his place whenever he glanced Hermione's way.

Now class was over. He wanted to call out to Hermione and tell her what was on his mind, but the words seemed to stick in his throat. He took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Miss - Granger. A word, if you will," he called out.

Hermione turned around and strode to his desk, Ron and Harry accompanying her. Remus smiled wanly at the trio. 'They do everything together, don't they?' he mused. "Actually, I had hoped to speak with Hermione alone - unless, of course, you aren't comfortable - "

Hermione gave him an incredulous look. "No, it's fine, I'll go with you," she said. Harry and Ron nodded and left. Hermione followed him up the stairs to his office, her heart beginning to beat faster. He sat down at his desk, and flicked the door closed with his wand. Hermione pulled up a chair next to him. He looked nervous.

"Hermione, I feel the need to apologize," he started.

"Apologize? For what?"

"For what happened before I was caught. I should have left you earlier, I should have recognized the signs." She could see him reddening visibly, but he seemed determined to go on. "I didn't because, well, I thought it was normal, because I had already felt attracted to you on - previous occasions." He sighed. "I would like to express my disgust that I did anything like that, especially when you were fading to the effects of Avadra Kedavra. I know I was under the effects of the potion, but all the same..."

"Remus, it's ok. I - is this why you've been ignoring me? Because you think you should distance yourself from me?"

"Yes," he answered tensely, not looking at her. She could see him looking at her in the corner of his eye. He seemed to be waiting for some kind of statement from her.

Hermione's heart beat faster, and she could feel the heat rising to her fact as she struggled with what to say. "I didn't mind," she said quickly.

"You didn't mind?" said Remus, confused.

"I didn't mind what happened. I really like you, Remus," Hermione said in a small voice. Her breath caught in her throat as he locked his gaze with hers.

"You mean that?" he asked softly. At Hermione's nod, he continued. "I'm sorry to say, Hermione, that if we ever got serious...I have nothing to offer, it just couldn't happen. I have a financial nightmare that isn't likely to improve because of my condition. I'm dangerous to be with because of my monthly transformations. Not to mention that life with me would be boring, I'm not like Harry with all that talent and attention. On the contrary..." he shook his head, and shifted his gaze from her to his hands.

"Remus, you've got to respect me enough to let me make the decision myself. I know all of that. I want to make this work. You're being too hard on yourself, give yourself some credit. I think you're really heroic, and..." Her voice trailed off as he looked into her eyes again.

"Hermione...are you sure?" Remus whispered. Hermione nodded, her throat too tight to speak. He smiled lopsidedly. "Well, if you don't mind..." He leaned towards her and kissed her, and she kissed him back.

That night, Remus, Hermione, Madam Pomfrey, and Dumbledore were gathered in the hospital wing. Although Harry wished to be there, Dumbledore was afraid that his mere presence might interfere, so he wasn't able to come. Ron kept Harry company, as the two of them completed their homework. Dumbledore gave Hermione and Remus knowing glances. It seemed he knew they were a pair but kept it to himself.

Remus held Hermione's hand as she went through her second therapy session. She was doing exceptionally well, especially considering her dismal previous session. She was able to move all the parts of her body on her own, and even struggled to a sitting position without help. This was all accomplished through thinking of something exciting. Hermione thought of her future with Remus.

"That was quite impressive, Miss Granger! Do you have any idea what contributed to your good performance today?" ask Madam Pomfrey.

"I had a good day today," said Hermione, her face growing hot as she felt Remus staring at her.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly. Madam Pomfrey looked a bit puzzled but didn't comment, merely saying, "Then let's hope for many good days in the future."

With Remus at her side, Hermione knew there would be. By the end of the school year, she'd certainly make a full recovery. Hermione Granger was back.


End file.
